On September 22, 1896, Major James B. Pond in New York City wrote an indignant letter to Paul Laurence Dunbar in Dayton. Pond was a Civil War hero and Medal of Honor winner, and manager for celebrities such as Mark Twain, Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington. As Paul gained recognition as a poet, Pond began to represent him, but a misunderstanding over a few free copies of Paul's books threatened to dissolve that relationship.
I am not using your books. If you want them all sent to you, I certainly have no objections and never had. I sent one to Stanley and one to Sir Edwin Arnold and asked them to write a review for their London papers. You know just what I used and for what purpose. Certainly I did not use them with a view to my own aggrandizement. My purpose has been to get you before the public for our mutual interest. If you think me capable of any other motive it seems to me that now is about time to close up our engagement.
James B. Pond to Paul Laurence Dunbar, September 22, 1896. Paul Laurence Dunbar Papers, Ohio History Connection (Microfilm edition, Roll 1).
Pond's letter refers to the African explorer and writer H. M. Stanley, and to Edwin Arnold, a poet and journalist for the London press. Pond sent them a book of Paul's poetry and suggested they write about him in the English papers, anticipating Paul's trip to England.
Paul's recital tour of England in 1897 was unsuccessful, but two years later his name appeared on Pond's roster of speakers.
Major Pond's preliminary announcement of lectures in America is a most alluring document. Sir H. M. Stanley will go on a short lecture tour in 1900. Paul Laurence Dunbar will also give readings from his works. Such is Major Pond's list and enterprise; there is nothing else like it anywhere else in the world.
"Major Pond's Arrangements, 1899 - 1900," by Matthew Cripps. The Westminster Gazette (London, England). August 29, 1899.
However, a satirical article published later suggests that Paul's partnership with Pond was over.
Mr. Paul Laurence Dunbar has a distinguished mention in the McClure prospectus. Major Pond had him out last season and he writes me that he had a regular rag-time with him! It was a painful affair anyway, and I am unable to state positively whether Mistah Dunbar turned Major Pond loose, or whether the shoe was on the other foot.
"The McClure Continuous, A Vaudeville Variant," by Michael Monahan. The Philistine: A Periodical of Protest (East Aurora, New York). December 1899. Page 5.