“employed by us for several months as critic and subeditor....  He resided with his wife and mother at Fordham, a few miles out of town, but was at his desk in the office from nine in the morning till the evening paper went to press.  With the highest admiration for his genius, and a willingness to let it atone for more than ordinary irregularity, we were led by common report to expect a very capricious attention to his duties, and occasionally a scene of violence and difficulty.  Time went on, however, and he was invariably punctual and industrious.  With his pale, beautiful, and intellectual face, as a reminder of what genius was in him, it was impossible, of course, not to treat him always with deferential courtsey....  With a prospect of taking the lead in another periodical, he at last voluntarily gave up his employment with us.”

A few weeks before Poe relinquished his laborious and ill-paid work on the ‘Evening Mirror’, his marvellous poem of “The Raven” was published.  The effect was magical.  Never before, nor, indeed, ever since, has a single short poem produced such a great and immediate enthusiasm.  It did more to render its author famous than all his other writings put together.  It made him the literary lion of the season; called into existence innumerable parodies; was translated into various languages, and, indeed, created quite a literature of its own.  Poe was naturally delighted with the success his poem had attained, and from time to time read it in his musical manner in public halls or at literary receptions.  Nevertheless he affected to regard it as a work of art only, and wrote his essay entitled the “Philosophy of Composition,” to prove that it was merely a mechanical production made in accordance with certain set rules.

Although our poet’s reputation was now well established, he found it still a difficult matter to live by his pen.  Even when in good health, he wrote slowly and with fastidious care, and when his work was done had great difficulty in getting publishers to accept it.  Since his death it has been proved that many months often elapsed before he could get either his most admired poems or tales published.

Poe left the ‘Evening Mirror’ in order to take part in the ’Broadway Journal’, wherein he re-issued from time to time nearly the whole of his prose and poetry.  Ultimately he acquired possession of this periodical, but, having no funds to carry it on, after a few months of heartbreaking labor he had to relinquish it.  Exhausted in body and mind, the unfortunate man now retreated with his dying wife and her mother to a quaint little cottage at Fordham, outside New York.  Here after a time the unfortunate household was reduced to the utmost need, not even having wherewith to purchase the necessities of life.  At this dire moment, some friendly hand, much to the indignation and dismay of Poe himself, made an appeal to the public on behalf of the hapless family.