| . . . There was a gentleman named Joseph Locke, who had made himself especially obnoxious, through his pertinacity in reporting the pranks of the cadets. At West Point, a "report" is no every day matter, but a very serious thing. Each "report" counts a certain number against the offender — is charged to his account — and, when the whole exceeds a stated sum, he is liable to dismissal. Mr. Poe, it appears, wrote a long lampoon against this Mr. Locke, of which the following are the only stanzas preserved: |
As for Locke, he is all in my eye, May the d—l [[devil]] right soon for his soul call. He never was known to lie -- In bed at reveille "roll call." John Locke was a notable name; Joe locke is a greater; in short, The former was well known to fame, But the latter's well known "to report." |
| The result of all this was just what he intended. For some time Colonel Thayer, to whose good offices the young cadet had been personally recommended by General Scott, overlooked these misdemeanors. . . . |
4 de Março de 1843. Este poema é citado como uma parte de um artigo biográfico sobre Poe, pelo seu amigo Henry Beck Hirst.