Letters written by an American poet have been discovered in a book handed in to a Stewartry charity shop. Volunteers at the charity store in Gatehouse, which usually raises around £3,000 a month for the town’s YMCA Youth Drop-In Centre, were surprised when two hand-written envelopes fell out of a recently donated book. And the mystery grew further when it emerged one held a letter written by John Greenlead Whittier to his niece in 1881, as well as a second envelope addressed to the niece’s husband. JG Whittier, who lived from 1807 to 1892, is greatly revered in America as a poet, but also as a significant figure in the move to abolish slavery. While the volunteers were aware of the importance of the discovery, by the time the envelopes had been found the lady who donated them had left – and staff didn’t recognise her as a regular. Volunteer, Fiona Cameron, said: “We’ve been in touch with Whittier College in the USA, which holds a collection of JG Whittier’s manuscripts. “They were able to confirm, from photos we sent, that the letter appears genuine. “They are as intrigued as we are to find out how it ended up inside a book donated to a Scottish charity shop, and have asked us to let them know if we find the solution to the mystery, so we’re hoping the donor of the books may come forward. “Besides the volume of Gray’s poetry in which we found the two envelopes there were other books of poetry, an early edition of Alice in Wonderland and a first edition of The Soldier and Death by Arthur Ransome. The books were handed in to us by a blonde lady on the afternoon of Monday, July 8. “The letter from Whittier to his niece Lizzie is a chatty note between family members – but this is no ordinary family. “Lizzie was the daughter of JG’s brother Matthew, and was the wife of Samuel T Pickard, himself a prominent figure in Portland, Maine, publisher and editor of a local newspaper.” Anyone who can help solve the mystery can pop in to the shop from 10am to 4pm Monday to Saturday, or email [email protected].
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