 Griswold moved to Albany , New York , to live with a 22 @-@ year @-@ old flute @-@ playing journalist named George C. Foster , a writer best known for his work New @-@ York by Gas @-@ Light . Griswold lived with Foster until he was 17 , and the two may have had a romantic relationship . When Griswold moved away , Foster wrote to him begging him to return , signing his letter " come to me if you love me " . Griswold attempted to enroll at the Rensselaer School in 1830 , but was not allowed to take any classes after he was caught attempting to play a prank on a professor . 
