Excerpt from Visits to Walt Whitman in 1890-1891

An additional chapter gives a summary of the visitor's general impressions of Whitman.

The reports of these visits would be incomplete, and would lack their true setting, without some account of the little group of friends in Lancashire represented by the visitors, and frequently referred to in the text. The first section of the book, therefore, gives a brief description of the group, and an account of the circumstances which led to our correspondence with Whitman during the closing years of his life.

The story of the relationship between Whitman and ourselves is completed by the addition of a final chapter which continues it from J. W. Wallace's return to England until Whitman's death. It consists mainly of extracts from letters written by Horace Traubel during Whitman's last illness - from December 17, 1891, to March 26, 1892 - in so far as they convey messages to us from Whitman, and some accompanying indication of the general character of his sufferings and demeanour at the time of writing. These extracts are taken from an article ("Last Days of Walt Whitman") by J. W. Wallace, contained in a book entitled "In re Walt Whitman, " published in 1893 by Whitman's literary executors, and we are indebted to the surviving executors, Horace Traubel and T. B. Harned, for permission to use them.

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