A poem written by Tumblety in response to his arrest in London in 1888

[Chris Scott]

I don't know is this has been posted before, but I have certainly never seen it.
This poem by Tumblety is specificallly linked in the article to the "scandalous stories (which) were printed about him in the papers during his last visit to London." This is Tumblety's response in verse to those events or - as the article says - "He resents it in verse"

I am posting the short article but have transcribed it as the print quality is not good.
Chris

New York World
9 February 1889

Another Poem by Dr. Tumblety.
Dr. Francis Tumblety has suffered much since the scandalous stories were printed about him in the papers during his last visit to London.
He resents it in verse:

Among the loathsome vices of the age,
The most revolting to the saint and sage
Is that of slandering an honest name,
And robbing virtue of her spotless fame.

The slanderers and scandal mongers are
More to be dreaded than the scourge of war;
Their poisoned tongues, like to the serpent's fangs,
Fill many a heart with sad and bitter pangs.

And yet, these vile calumniators try
Their guilt to hide, their deeds to justify
They feign a grief - would rather not reveal
Their awful secrets which they can't conceal.

The flying rumors, gathered as they rolled,
Scared any tale was sooner heard than told;
And all who told it added something new,
And all who heard it made enlargements too -
In every ear it spread, on every tongue it grew.
The Doctor has received a number of letters of friendship from old friends since his return to New York, and among them are expressions of good will from Dan Sweeny, of Sweeny's Hotel; the Rev. W.H. De Puy, D.D., and Dr. N.B. Holbrook, both of New York.

[Steven Russell]

Iambic pentameter. Nice. It seems that Tumblety may have taught himself more than the ways of a conman. That is if the early description of him as being "utterly devoid of education" is accurate. Mind you, I suppose "Feigning education and culture" is an important chapter in the charlatan's handbook.

Best wishes,

Steve.

[Chris Scott]

The article below tells about Sweeny's Hotel and mentions the Dan(iel) Sweeny referred to in the first post above

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9E0DE2D6113AE533A25752C3A9649D94649ED7CF

There is a photo of and basic details about W H De Puy at

http://www.biographicalimages.com/viewphoto.php?&albumId=72842&imageId=3043552&page=16&imagepos=10

[Dr. John Watson]

Tumblety seemed never at a loss when it came to character witnesses, no matter what town he was in or what the charge was against him. Here we have a hotel keeper and two churchmen. My eye happens across an 1890 item telling of his arrest for accosting two young men on a street corner in Pittsburgh. Standing up for Tumblety in Police Court were "Stablekeeper Kaliber" and "Saloonkeeper Harvey." Judging from the occupations of these gentlemen, one suspects Tumblety's witnesses may be motivated by the hope of insuring continued income from a rich customer - and this would certainly include the clergymen.

[D.B.Wagstaff]

I have been involved in two court cases (as a witness) in which clergymen were called as character witnesses for the defendents. Neither had clue one about the character of the men they were vouching for.

[mklhawley]

Even in his book, Tumblety attempts or sway opinions through the use of witness testimony from supposed credible people, as opposed to challenging evidence. Well, I guess if you tend to be guilty, facts are not your friend.

Sincerely,

Mike

[Cap'n Jack]

I think the most important thing to note here is that Tumblety is pushing this scandal back at the original originators of the farce, in other words Scotland Yard and the Home Office, in that his words do convey the very real impression that he was aware of some sort of disinformation or even misinformation campaign on behalf of the establishment... and in this regard I trust his judgement. As a King of rats he could smell a mouse.

[Simon Wood]

Hi All,

"The flying rumors, gathered as they rolled,
Scared any tale was sooner heard than told;
And all who told it added something new,
And all who heard it made enlargements too -
In every ear it spread, on every tongue it grew."

Doc Tumblety sure had a handle on the future phenomenon of Ripperology.

Regards,

Simon

[mklhawley]

I think the most important thing to note here is that Tumblety is pushing this scandal back at the original originators of the farce, in other words Scotland Yard and the Home Office, in that his words do convey the very real impression that he was aware of some sort of disinformation or even misinformation campaign on behalf of the establishment... and in this regard I trust his judgement. As a King of rats he could smell a mouse.

Cap'n Jack,

Welcome back on the Tumblety threads. I have been spouting my stuff unchecked for too long (Well, Wolf V. worked me over). It's nice to hear from you again.

Banana

[timothy]

Like most of Tumblety's poetry, this is a copy of some one else's work. In this case, two other people. The first three stanzas are part of a poem entitled "Slander" published by S. Moore in 1887. The final stanza is from Alexander Pope in a very long poem entitled "House of Fame."

Tim Riordan

[Steven Russell]

Dear Tim,

Great information. What a rip-off artist! The man clearly had no shame.

Best wishes,

Steve.

[Dr. John Watson]

You've got to love this guy! Here he is, over a hundred years in his grave, and he's still fooling us!