HENRY WILLIAM HERBERT. 
xxiii 
We do not mean to imply that Herbert was an inmate 
at Washington Hall, although, like hundreds of others, 
he visited the house occasionally. lie was boarding at 
the Carlton House, whither he had gone in 1836, because 
his connection with the u Courier and Enquirer ” and 
other papers, all published down town, had become so 
intimate as to engross a large portion of his time. James 
O. Sargent was in those days one of the leading editors 
of the “ Courier,” and a strong team—from Matthew L. 
Davis around to Charles A. Burdett—were engaged to 
fill the various departmental duties. As a reviewer and 
an occasional contributor of poetry, Herbert’s name and 
presence became familiar in literary, artistic, and musical 
circles. As a natural consequence, his handsome person 
and fascinating manners caused the society of such a man 
to be much courted by the ladies, but his thoughts were 
too much occupied by his writings or by “the jolly dogs 
of the clubs ” to seriously entertain the idea of marriage. 
In this state of affairs, Herbert was requested, one day 
in 1839, to accompany one of his literary friends, Mr. 
Joseph A. Scoville, on a wedding tour to Bangor, in 
Maine. Mr. Scoville was at that time in wealthy and 
promising circumstances. He was about to marry a Miss 
Barker, daughter of the then Mayor of Bangor. Herbert 
found that Scoville had so much set his mind upon hav¬ 
ing him as groomsman at the wedding that at last he con¬ 
sented to accompany the expectant bridegroom. The 
inconvenience of leaving business in Hew York would be 
compensated by a round trip of a thousand miles, and the 
pleasure of witnessing a joyful occasion. 
After arriving at Bangor, there was, for some unac¬ 
countable reason, a slight delay. In the mean time, the 
astounding discovery was made that the intended bride 
was quite willing for the ceremonies of sacrifice at the 
hymenial altar to proceed, but it was with Henry William 
