An H. P. Lovecraft Encyclopedia

British amateur journalist living in Florida and infrequent associate of HPL. When HPL wrote a letter to the Argosycriticizing romance writer Fred Jackson (published in the September 1913 issue), Russell was one of many to protest—but his protest (published in the November 1913 issue) was in verse, leading HPL to respond with the Ad Criticospoems. After a year of sporadic exchanges, the editor of the Argosyasked the two writers to reconcile, and they

< previous page page_228 next page > < previous page page_229 next page >

Page 229

did so in an item published as “The Critics’ Farewell” in the October 1914 issue, containing HPL’s poem “The End of the Jackson War” and Russell’s “Our Apology to E.M.W.” HPL must have got in touch with Russell personally around this time; he urged Russell to join amateur journalism, but Russell did not do so immediately. Russell’s poem “Florida” and HPL’s poem “New England” were published together in the Providence Evening News(December 18, 1914); Russell’s poem was reprinted from the Tampa Times. HPL’s brief article “An Impartial Spectator” ( Conservative,October 1915) consists of paragraphs prefacing and following Russell’s poem “Metrical Regularity, or, Broken Metre.” In April 1925, Russell spent a few days in HPL’s company in New York. Thereafter he disappears from the record. No correspondence between HPL and Russell survives.

< previous page page_229 next page > < previous page page_230 next page >

Page 230

S

Sandusky, Albert A. (d. 1934?).

Amateur journalist and associate of HPL. Sandusky, a resident of Cambridge, Mass., operated the Lincoln Press, and in this capacity he printed the two issues of the Providence Amateur(June 1915 and February 1916) for HPL, as well as several issues of HPL’s Conservative(July 1915, October 1915, January 1916, April 1916, and possibly July 1916). HPL first met Sandusky on a visit to Boston on March 10–11, 1923, to attend a meeting of the Hub Club (an amateur group associated with the NAPA), of which Sandusky was a member. HPL was taken with Sandusky’s piquant use of contemporary slang, and his poem “The Feast (Hub Journalist Club, March 10, 1923),” published in the Hub Club Quill(May 1923), is dedicated to “Wisecrack Sandusky, B.I., M.B.O. (Bachelor of Intelligence, Massachusetts Brotherhood of Owls).” HPL met Sandusky again in Boston in August 1923, and Sandusky visited HPL in New York in June 1925. No correspondence by HPL to Sandusky has survived.

Sargent, Joe.

In “The Shadow over Innsmouth,” he drives the motor coach that takes Robert Olmstead between Arkham, Newburyport, and Innsmouth.

Sargent, Moses and Abigail.

In “The Thing on the Doorstep,” servants of Edward and Asenath Derby who, after being dismissed by Edward, appear to exact some kind of blackmail from him.

Sawyer, Asaph.

The vindictive scoundrel in “In the Vault” whose corpse was mutilated by George Birch in order to make it fit a coffin originally intended for a shorter man and who exacts vengeance on Birch even in death.

Sawyer, Earl.

In “The Dunwich Horror,” a neighbor of the Whateleys who, when selling cattle to that family, detects a horrible stench in their abandoned toolhouse. Later he tends Wilbur Whateley’s cattle while Wilbur is visiting the

< previous page page_230 next page > < previous page page_231 next page >

Page 231

library of Miskatonic University, and still later he is among the party that exterminates Wilbur’s twin brother. His “common-law wife” is Mamie Bishop. His relationship to Sally Sawyer, housekeeper of Seth Bishop’s farm, and her son Chauncey is unspecified.

Schmidt,———.

In “The Temple,” a seaman on the German submarine U-29 who becomes violently insane and is executed by the commander, Graf von Altberg-Ehrenstein.

Schwartz, Julius (b. 1915),