129
and say that the statements of a witness were ex-
asperated (exaggerated.) On being asked what he
meant by agreeing to take a nominal sum he
said 150!! instead of the 180 sued for.
Then vague ideas approached (?entered) his noddle
that he had made a slip, and the attempt at
extrication being continued in words of three sylla-
bles confusion became worse confounded, his notions
were stirred and his ignorance steamed out. The
counsel for the defense, badgered him, exposed his
raw and put salt and pepper thereon. x x x Their
head cousel one Edwin James 2. C. also played
a barrister s trick took their money and never ap-
peared leaving them to another who hadn t read the
brief. George bears it like a man. Boutcher
doubts the possibility of starting his Diorama, through
lack of funds, talks of an Essay on Cuneiform
writing he has done, of his having made sketches for
the Lord Mayor s nephew &c, and thinks of emi-
grating to Canada. ( Tis odd since my last
talks in England with George Bolton, my inclinations
have consistently pointed Canada wards. Maybe Bout-
cher and I will be neighbours there.) Old
Allom is married to a blushing damsel of forty.
Mrs Storr (Amy) has held her at home two
days and seems jolly. Young Arthur the little
snob still talks mysteriously of some important
job of his to ignite the Thames and roust all the
| Page |
| Title: | Thomas Butler Gunn Diaries, Volume Eight: page one hundred and thirty-seven |
| Description: | Describes a letter from William Boutcher. |
| Date: | 1857-01-13 |
| Subject: | Allom; Bolton, George; Boutcher, William; Clarke, George; Gunn, Thomas Butler; James, Edward; Lawyers; Storr, Amy; Storr, Arthur; Worthington |
| Coverage (City/State): | [New York, New York] |
| Scan Date: | 2011-02-02 |
| Volume |
| Title: | Thomas Butler Gunn Diaries, Volume Eight |
| Description: | Includes descriptions of the process of publishing his book, ''The Physiology of New-York Boarding Houses;'' his poor mental state upon returning to New York from England; meeting Walt Whitman; visits with Fanny Fern, James Parton, and Harriet Jacobs' daughter Louisa who is living with them; a visit to the Catskill Mountains with the Edwards family; moving into the boarding house at 132 Bleecker Street; working on the publication ''European'' with Colonel Hugh Forbes; the death of publisher William Levison and his daughter Ellen in his boarding house; visiting the scene of the murder of a dentist to get a sketch of the suspect; visiting Newport, Rhode Island, on assignment to sketch for Frank Leslie; and the death of his brother-in-law, Joseph Greatbatch. |
| Subject: | Boardinghouses; Bohemians; Gunn, Thomas Butler; Journalism; Medical care; Mental illness; Publishers and publishing; Travel; Women |
| Coverage (City/State): | New York, New York; Newport, Rhode Island |
| Note: | Thomas Butler Gunn was born February 15, 1826, in Banbury, England, and came to New York in 1849. During the Civil War he worked as a correspondent for the New York Tribune and the New York Evening Post. He returned to England in 1863, and died in Birmingham in April 1903. The collection includes twenty-one volumes of his diaries, including newspaper clippings, letters, photographs, sketches, and various other items inserted by Gunn. Diary entries date from July 7, 1849, to April 7, 1863, and include his experiences with the New York publishing and literary world, his descriptions of boarding houses, his travels throughout the United States, and his experiences traveling with the Federal army as a Civil War correspondent. |
| Publisher: | Missouri History Museum |
| Rights: | Copyright 2011 Missouri History Museum. |
| Source: | Page images, transcriptions, and metadata of the Thomas Butler Gunn diaries have been provided by the Missouri History Museum. |
