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| Scott Number | 1 |
|---|---|
| Date | October 10, 1850 |
| From City | Boston |
| From State | MA |
| To City | New York |
| To State | NY |
| Addressee | James Gordon Bennett |
| Cert Author | |
| Cert # | |
| Fake | |
| Quantity 1 | 1 |
| Quantity 2 | 0 |
| Bisect | |
| Others |
Notes
Lot 392 #1, 5c Red Brown, 3 full margins, tied by black grid cancel to 1850 folded letter to J. G. Bennett (Editor of the Herald) at New York, red "Boston 5 cts Oct 10" cds, original 2p, A.L.S. of P.T. Barnum, superb letter regarding recent articles appearing about Barnum's exploits which some papers and people took seriously, very fine Est. 400-500
Richard C. Frajola, Inc. sale 38 realized 800
Alexander listed as 10/10/50
Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries sale 1182 lot 55 realized 250 (image)
Robert A. Siegel sale 1284 (Yellowstone) lot 564 realized 850
Featured in STAMPS, June 14, 1952 p374-5
Revere House, Boston
Oct 9, 1850
James Gordon Bennett, Esq.:
My dear sir:
I have been hesitating a day or two about writing you and have finally concluded to direct you a couple of lines although I can hardly think the subject possesses much to interest you. I observed your article several days since, regarding my exploits. $13,000.00 in furnature to be returned to the stores, big stories about receipts, etc., etc., and I assure you that a good hearty laugh was the only influence that the reading of it had on me. I was quite surprised and annoyed to find that some of the Boston papers made a serious thing of it, and fired hot shot at the Herald. My only object in writing this is to assure you that I have been in various manners receiving these Boston notices and I very much regret that ny paper should have found fault with your article. I have never had the slightest reason to be offended by anything the Herald has said regarding myself – indeed, I trust I am too old a soldier to flinch uch at paper bullets, but I did not like to remain silent and thus incur the risk of your supposing that I regarded your article as one caclulated to injure me (for I did not so regard it) nor did I wish you to suppose I was so sensitive as to be induced to ask other papers to take up the gauntlet for me. I have done no such thing – nor do I thank any paper for doing so under such circumstances as those above alluded to. Pray(?) excuse this scrawl and if I have bored you with a letter on a subject you care nothing about, I shall not feel much surprised.
Faithfully yours,
P. T. Barnum
Richard C. Frajola, Inc. sale 38 realized 800
Alexander listed as 10/10/50
Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries sale 1182 lot 55 realized 250 (image)
Robert A. Siegel sale 1284 (Yellowstone) lot 564 realized 850
Featured in STAMPS, June 14, 1952 p374-5
Revere House, Boston
Oct 9, 1850
James Gordon Bennett, Esq.:
My dear sir:
I have been hesitating a day or two about writing you and have finally concluded to direct you a couple of lines although I can hardly think the subject possesses much to interest you. I observed your article several days since, regarding my exploits. $13,000.00 in furnature to be returned to the stores, big stories about receipts, etc., etc., and I assure you that a good hearty laugh was the only influence that the reading of it had on me. I was quite surprised and annoyed to find that some of the Boston papers made a serious thing of it, and fired hot shot at the Herald. My only object in writing this is to assure you that I have been in various manners receiving these Boston notices and I very much regret that ny paper should have found fault with your article. I have never had the slightest reason to be offended by anything the Herald has said regarding myself – indeed, I trust I am too old a soldier to flinch uch at paper bullets, but I did not like to remain silent and thus incur the risk of your supposing that I regarded your article as one caclulated to injure me (for I did not so regard it) nor did I wish you to suppose I was so sensitive as to be induced to ask other papers to take up the gauntlet for me. I have done no such thing – nor do I thank any paper for doing so under such circumstances as those above alluded to. Pray(?) excuse this scrawl and if I have bored you with a letter on a subject you care nothing about, I shall not feel much surprised.
Faithfully yours,
P. T. Barnum
