Letter to Walt Whitman from John Newton Johnson - Transcript
The Amana[?] [...] one need wish to see. He has been so idle or lazy [...] destitute of acquired knowledge that about [...] [of paper?] would suffice to [...] [him?] [...] of “Philosophy” and Wit.
Dont be off[...]
[...] [bluff?] Home
April 3 18[75]
Walt [...] oo big date man up des[…] oo dood [...] what name like me! me write oo [...] letter—it sall be “fresh an modern” [...] me is Modern Man, ony bout four five monfs old—but me is not “Average Man”—oo tall me Average Man, oo lie!—Average Man is blame rascal—him not wuf pickin up in de road if him be tannin tip-toe! May-be if oo work him ober free four times, him be wuf sumtin—but way him is now, him teal, him cheat, him beg, him tell lies—but me is fine ittle “secesh,” […] man—me “boo bood”! me dot penty [...] F. F. V.,—me not teal—me not cheat—me not beg—me not tell lies—back lies [...] “white lies” is all back to me—me ittle [...] man bout dat—maybe me is ittle [...] foolish bout dat, but when me say yes it be yes and when me say no it be no—dats p[...] fun sometime but me tant help it—me will [...] to some “white lies” [...] fun [...] some nice Poetry. But [...] do dem […] fings, me tan fight an [...] […]foun de back-heart bobolitions! Woolly head niggers! what em dood for but [...] torn and totton for chibalry white mans?
Uncle Walt: me is been treat bad—papa not gib me no name ‘till me mos’ free monfs old—him not like name him babys for live mans—him faid live mans do bad fings and make babies shamed—but me fink oo neber do no bad fings, man what talk dood like oo wont neber do no bad fings—papa not like bobolitions neider, but may-be oo not bobolitions, may-be oo ony make-believe, may-be ony also dust in [...] of dem bobolitions roun bout oo, for fatter em, and rake in der money, (dat [...] money [...] de Tariff teal from dood [...] mans [...] gib to back-heart bobolitions [...] dat case [...], me say “go head Uncle Walt [...] em [...] [fatter?] em, an’ fatter em [...] big pile [...] money from em’—den oo [...] here afer oo [...] on dat line, an’ build dood house on [...] top an’ me an’ oo will [...] togedder [...] laugh to de old bobolitions bout how oo [...] em out of der money—den we put [...] my boo flag) on top on [...] house an’ [...] fap, an’ fap, an’ fap—an’ we will [bin?] big fiddles too, for play Dixie! Den if noder war tomes we will be taptains of Ku Klux banditti, an’ me go east, an’ oo go west, an’ we will clean out all bobolitions an’ wooly head niggers. Tause me is dood fightin tock; me fight bery well when me dot no place for run to; me hunt for last ditch, but if em catch me fore me get dere, me will say me is old womans! But Uncle Walt: me dont know if me wants see oo—tomebody say oo not talk [much?] tomebody say oo let oder folks do mos talking—what oo dat way for? ittle [...] man tould me [...] long wid oo dat way—him mighty [...], but him fink ittle bit [..] first, but [...] see much books, him [...] lazy farmer mans, him not dot big pile [...], nor fine [...], nor fine close, nor big money […] ittle secesh man ony dot [mos?] [...] dood sense, […] nuff brave heart, an’ ittle [...]. What for oo want see ittle [...] man? Does oo want hug him neck? [does oo want?] hold him by him hand? Uncle Walt: [...], oo mus’ not be tongue-tied.—
Me is not been sick none, ony [de colic?], ’till me four monfs old—den big ittle boy take me in wind an’ me hab told an’ feber free days, but me tonquer him—what for me dot “gymnastic” mudder if me tant tonquer told an’ feber? me bully ittle boy—any ittle Jersey-boo-coat boy say “Union” to me me tan whip him quicker’n him Banner an’ Pennant tan say “fap”, “fap”, “fap”—oo bet!
Me not want presents what money tan buy—oo mus gib dat sort to oder ittle Walt Whitmans—but oo mus’ gib big [...] love to ittle secesh mans. Now, me [...]me name
Walt Whitman X≠IIXX
[...]oh! me pile him some[thing?] [...] may be him [...] dood nuff.
[1] Held by the Charles E. Feinberg Collection of the Papers of Walt Whitman, 1839-1919, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Transcribed from digital images of the original item by Nima Najafi Kianfar, John Schwaninger, and Caterina Bernardini at the Walt Whitman Archive, and emended by Matt Cohen for this edition. Whitman Archive ID: loc.01842.