BLACKWELL FAMILY Henry B. Blackwell Cincinnati Literary Club[*HBB*]
C. M. SAXTON & CO.'S
AGRICULTURAL BOOK ROOMS,
NO. 140 FULTON STREET

New York, July 1 1857
To the Editor of the Literary Club
Rev. and Dear Sir
Your kind and
flattering proposition "to take my
head off," in case I should fail to
furnish an article for your valuable
paper reached me yesterday — for which
please accept my thanks —
If your proposition [were] emanated
from yourself individually, I should
appeal to the Municipal Authorities for
protection — Your well known ferocity
of character & a certain tendency to
wild fanaticism, which awakens in
the minds of your friends a
fear mingled with admiration,
would make such a course imperative
upon me to avoid a casualty which I
should sincerely deprecate — Indeed, under this [impression?], I called
upon Mayor Wood, immediately on receipt of
your letter — Upon reaching the City
Hall, my progress was abruptly termin-terminated by an innocent army of ragged
officials--whose antiquated & unwashed
apparel contrasted strangely with their
newly gilded stars of office--Some
of these gentlemen displayed their
brilliant official emblems upon the
lappels of their coats as is usual--
But [other] a larger number having coats
whose lappels had long ago gone down
the gulf of Time, were constrained to attach
their stars to the cuffs of
their coats &  literally to present arms
when their official identity was questioned.
However, as the office of a policeman makes
it his frequent duty to inflict cuffs
upon the byestanders, I suppose this
peculiarity should not be severely
criticised--But when I observed
that a large proportion of the City Police
in default of coats were compelled to
wear their badges on their waistcoats
I grew indignant at so palpable a 
violation of vested rights. My indignation
became extreme when I observed
one ragged individual shirtless, coatless

& vestless who wore the star upon the
only sound spot of his garments which
proved to be the seat of his pantaloons
This wretched man being obliged by
law to keep his badge always in
sight was seriously embarassed in
a futile effort at once to press forward
& to back out, which involved an
inextricable conflict between Fate 
& Free-will--I had not much
time however for such philosophical
observations for I was promptly
arrested by the nearest members of
the illustrious fraternity just described
& carried before their great leader--
who no sooner beheld me--than
he denounced me by name-addressing
me as Daniel D. Conover & expressing
a mild desire to consign
my organs of vision to a very
awful & everlasting calamity, which
propriety forbids me to particularize
further than that the punishment
proposed began with the letter D.--
No sooner was I thus stigmatizedthat a howl of rage arose &
many expletives were vented
in the following among many others
dialects to me unknown - covering
of course the country & lineage of
the celebrated City Police - I distinctly
heard Irish, German, French,
Spanish, Portuguese, Holland Dutch,
Russian, Danish, Norwegian,
Swiss, Tartar, Chinese, Hindostanee,
Turkish, Italian, Greek, Esquimaux
&20 Bromfield 87

Cincinnati, October 9th, 1869
My Dear Sir:
The Cincinnati Literary Club, of which you were
formerly a member, will celebrate their twentieth anniversary
on the 29th of this month, at their rooms in the Apollo Buildings,
north west corner of Fifth and Walnut Streets.
Supper will be served and half-past eight o'clock in the
evening, after which the Paper will be read by Mr. Herron.
You are most cordially invited to be present. You will
confer a favor by answering this note at your earliest convenience.
Yours very respectfully,
E. S. Throop,
Secretary of the Literary Club.