• We have updated the guidelines regarding posting political content: please see the stickied thread on Website Issues.

What Killed Edgar Allen Poe?

MrRING

Android Futureman
Joined
Aug 7, 2002
Messages
6,053
Seems like nobody knows, but there are about as many theories as there are Ripper suspects..:)....

http://www.poemuseum.org/poes_life/death_myths.html

On October 3, 1849, Dr. Joseph E. Snodgrass received the following note:

Baltimore City, Oct. 3, 1849
Dear Sir,

There is a gentleman, rather the worse for wear, at Ryan's 4th ward polls, who goes under the cognomen of Edgar A. Poe, and who appears in great distress, & he says he is acquainted with you, he is in need of immediate assistance.

Yours, in haste,
JOS. W. WALKER
To Dr. J.E. Snodgrass.


This is the first verifiable evidence available of Poe's whereabouts since departing Richmond in the early morning of September 27. His intended destination had been Philadelphia, where he was to edit a volume of poetry for Mrs. St. Leon Loud. Dr. Snodgrass found Poe semiconscious and dressed in cheap, ill-fitting clothes so unlike Poe's usual mode of dress that many believe that Poe's own clothing had been stolen. Poe was taken to Washington College Hospital on the afternoon of October 3 and did not regain consciousness until the next morning. For days he passed from delirium to unconsciousness, but never recovered well enough to tell how he had arrived in such a condition. For no known reason he started calling loudly for "Reynolds" on the fourth night.

In the early morning hours of October 7, Poe calmly breathed a simple prayer, "Lord, help my poor soul," and died. His cause of death was ascribed to "congestion of the brain." No autopsy was performed, and the author was buried two days later. In dying under such mysterious circumstances, the father of the detective story has left us with a real-life mystery which Poe scholars, medical professionals, and others have been trying to solve for over 150 years.

The following is a bibliography of some of the theories of Poe's cause of death that have been published over the years:

Beating (1857)
The United States Magazine Vol.II (1857): 268.

Epilepsy (1875)
Scribner's Monthly Vo1. 10 (1875): 691.

Dipsomania (1921)
Robertson, John W. Edgar A. Poe A Study. Brough, 1921: 134, 379.

Heart (1926)
Allan, Hervey. Israfel. Doubleday, 1926: Chapt. XXVII, 670.

Toxic Disorder (1970)
Studia Philo1ogica Vol. 16 (1970): 41-42.

Hypoglycemia (1979)
Artes Literatus (1979) Vol. 5: 7-19.

Diabetes (1977)
Sinclair, David. Edgar Allan Poe. Roman & Litt1efield, 1977: 151-152.

Alcohol Dehydrogenase (1984)
Arno Karlen. Napo1eon's Glands. Little Brown, 1984: 92.

Porphryia (1989)
JMAMA Feb. 10, 1989: 863-864.

Delerium Tremens (1992)
Meyers, Jeffrey. Edgar A1lan Poe. Charles Scribner, 1992: 255.

Rabies (1996)
Maryland Medical Journal Sept. 1996: 765-769.

Heart (1997)
Scientific Sleuthing Review Summer 1997: 1-4.

Murder (1998)
Walsh, John E., Midnight Dreary. Rutgers Univ. Press, 1998: 119-120.

Epilepsy (1999)
Archives of Neurology June 1999: 646, 740.

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning (1999)
Albert Donnay
 
I always thought it was TB, but maybe I only assumed that because he died in poverty.
 
Yup, TB was of course endemic at the time. I'd always thought it was that especially as most of Poe's family seem to have died of it. It's exciting to read the speculation about his death.

We have thread on 'speculative diagnoses' or something. It matters that we know what killed peeps in the past, if only to remind ourselves how very lucky we are (in the modern west) to have escaped the dreadful diseases of the past.

Wonderful subject. :)
 
Have we not discussed this somewhere before? Hang on, I'll edit this post with a link if I find it...

-----------EDIT----------------------

Oh, well... no, we havn't. I thought it was a combination of extreme poverty and the drink that did for him, but I can't back that up with anything other than simple assertion and what the Reader's Digest says about him in the biog of their selection of his stories.
 
Would that we had the resources to have him dug up and examined:devil:
 
Here is a nice set of theories:

http://www.eapoe.org/geninfo/poedeath.htm

In particular, this one seems interesting (if strange):
The Cooping Theory

This is the theory given in the vast majority of Poe biographies, although it cannot be proven true. Coincidence or not, the day Poe was found on the street was election day in Baltimore and the place near where he was found, Ryan's Fourth Ward Polls, was both a bar and a place for voting. In those days, Baltimore elections were notorious for corruption and violence. Political gangs were willing to go to great extremes to ensure the success of their candidates. Election ballots were stolen, judges were bribed and potential voters for the opposition intimidated. Some gangs were known to kidnap innocent bystanders, holding them in a room, called the "coop." These poor souls were then forced to go in and out of poll after poll, voting over and over again. Their clothing might even be changed to allow for another round. To ensure compliance, their victims were plied with liquor and beaten. Poe's weak heart would never have withstood such abuse. This theory appears to have been first offered publicly by John R. Thompson in the early 1870s to explain Poe's condition and the fact that he was wearing someone else's clothing. A possible flaw in the theory is that Poe was reasonably well-known in Baltimore and likely to be recognized.

Although not in keeping with the political aspects of this theory, there is an earlier suggestion that Poe was physically abused in his final days: "At the instigation of a woman, who considered herself injured by him, he was cruelly beaten, blow upon blow, by a ruffian who knew of no better mode of avenging supposed injuries. It is well known that a brain fever followed. . . ." (Mrs. E. Oakes Smith, "Autobiographic Notes: Edgar Allan Poe," Beadle's Monthly, February 3, 1867, p. 154). It was in reply to Mr. Smith's article that Dr. Snodgrass wrote his "The Facts of Poe's Death and Burial" noted above.

The eminent Poe scholar Dr. Thomas Ollive Mabbott, quoting Robert D'Unger, dismissed the cooping theory as "twaddle," but neither offers any explanation. It does answer some of the stranger details and may yet be shown to have some merit. James A. Harrison seems to accept the cooping theory. Didier's book The Poe Cult reprints his article on "The True Cause of Poe's Death" in which he quotes a letter from a person who claims to have seen Poe "in the coop." This information was sent to Didier by Alexander Hynds on December 8, 1879. Hynds, a Baltimore attorney, identified the source only as "my friend, a prominent man of San Francisco." Since the ultimate source for the letter remained anonymous, it has generally been dismissed as journalistic sensationalism. In his own biography of Poe, John Joyce quotes the identical letter, also without identifying the source, and claiming it as if it had been related to him personally (John A. Joyce, Edgar Allan Poe, New York: F. T. Neely, 1901, pp. 195-197). Mrs. Weiss adds further to the confusion by repeating the same article, but attributing it, ironically, to Dr. Snodgrass (Weiss, Home Life of Poe, 207-211).

Didier had already published a slightly different account : "he met some of his old West-Point friends, who invited him to a champagne-supper that night. At first he refused to drink, but at last he was induced to take a glass of champagne. That set him off, and, in a few hours, he was madly drunk. In this state he wandered off from his friends, was robbed and beaten by ruffians, and left insensible in the street all night" (Didier, "The Grave of Poe," Appleton's Journal, VII, January 27, 1872, p. 104). One wonders if Didier's opinion was changed by convicing evidence or mere preference.

N. H. Morrison's letter to J. H. Ingram, November 27, 1874, includes these comments "The story of Poe's death has never been told. Nelson [Neilson] Poe has all the facts, but I am afraid may not be willing to tell them. I do not see why. The actual facts are less discreditable than the common reports published. Poe came to the city in the midst of an election, and that election was the cause of his death" (Miller, Building Poe Biography, p. 49). Neilson, Poe's cousin, spoke briefly at the dedication of Poe's memorial grave in 1875, but made no statement concerning the circumstances of Edgar's death. If Neilson Poe had specific information about Poe's final days, he apparently took it with him to the grave.

William Hand Browne's letter to J. H. Ingram, August 24, 1874, includes these comments "The general belief here is, that Poe was seized by one of these gangs, (his death happening just at election-time; an election for sheriff took place on Oct. 4th), 'cooped,' stupefied with liquor, dragged out and voted, and then turned adrift to die" (Miller, Building Poe Biography, p. 69).

According to Elizabeth Ellicott Poe and Vylla Poe Wilson, "The conclusion to be drawn, in view of all the factors and probabilities, is that he [Poe] was shanghaied shortly after his arrival in Baltimore, given liquor and opium to which he was peculiarly susceptible, and while in that irresponsible condition held until election day. A certain Passano, associated with that 'coop,' is said to have confessed to relatives in after years that this is what happened to the poet, but no formal record was made of his testimony to this effect" (E. E. Poe and V. P. Wilson, Edgar Allan Poe: A High Priest of the Beautiful, Washington: The Stylus Publishing Company, 1930, p. 79).
 
The link I gave above gives the most detailed look at the "facts" of Poe's last days:
In 1849, Poe was still living with Mrs. Clemm in New York, in the same little cottage where Virginia had died in 1847. On June 29, 1849, Poe began a lecture tour to raise money and interest in his projected magazine The Stylus. He went first to Philadelphia, then to Richmond and Norfolk. While in Richmond, he reunited with his childhood sweetheart, Elmira Royster Shelton. Both Poe and Mrs. Shelton by then were widowed and after a brief courtship, renewed their long-ago engagement. Poe left for New York, to gather Maria Clemm and move their belongings back to Richmond. Before leaving, Poe stopped by the office of Dr. John F. Carter, at Seventh and Broad Streets, at about 9:30 at night. After talking for awhile, he went across the street to Saddler's Restaurant for supper, mistakenly taking Dr. Carter's malacca cane and leaving behind his own and a copy of Moore's Irish Rhapsodies. According to Dr. Carter, the cane contained a hidden sword, of which Poe may or may not have been aware (John Carter, "Edgar Poe's Last Night in Richmond," Lippincott's Monthly Magazine, p. 565 and repeated in Weiss, The Home Life of Poe, p. 203-204). Mrs. Susan A. T. Weiss noted, "at the restaurant he met with some acquaintances who detained him until late, and then accompanied him to the Baltimore boat. According to their account he was quite sober and cheerful to the last, remarking, as he took leave of them, that he would soon be in Richmond again" (Weiss, "The Last Days of Edgar A. Poe," p. 714).
Taking a boat from Richmond on September 27, Poe arrived in Baltimore on September 28, 1849. Over the next few days, details about Poe's actions and whereabouts are uncertain. Even his Baltimore cousin, Neilson Poe, wrote to Maria Clemm on October 11, 1849 "where he spent the time he was here, or under what circumstances, I have been unable to ascertain" (Quinn, Edgar Allan Poe, p. 642). Poe apparently called on Dr. Nathan Covington Brooks, who was, unfortunately, out of town. (The origin of the widely repeated information for this visit to Brooks' home is elusive. G. E. Woodberry's 1885 Life of Poe (Edgar Allan Poe, 1885, p. 342) seems to be the first mention, giving a slightly extended version, with Poe being partly intoxicated. (Woodberry repeats the information in his 1909 biography of Poe with what erroneously appears to be a note that J. A. Harrison's 1902 Life of Poe as the source. No such reference occurs there and it is a note only for the sentence marked.)

Bishop Fitzgerald noted that Poe left Richmond with as much as
In 1849, Poe was still living with Mrs. Clemm in New York, in the same little cottage where Virginia had died in 1847. On June 29, 1849, Poe began a lecture tour to raise money and interest in his projected magazine The Stylus. He went first to Philadelphia, then to Richmond and Norfolk. While in Richmond, he reunited with his childhood sweetheart, Elmira Royster Shelton. Both Poe and Mrs. Shelton by then were widowed and after a brief courtship, renewed their long-ago engagement. Poe left for New York, to gather Maria Clemm and move their belongings back to Richmond. Before leaving, Poe stopped by the office of Dr. John F. Carter, at Seventh and Broad Streets, at about 9:30 at night. After talking for awhile, he went across the street to Saddler's Restaurant for supper, mistakenly taking Dr. Carter's malacca cane and leaving behind his own and a copy of Moore's Irish Rhapsodies. According to Dr. Carter, the cane contained a hidden sword, of which Poe may or may not have been aware (John Carter, "Edgar Poe's Last Night in Richmond," Lippincott's Monthly Magazine, p. 565 and repeated in Weiss, The Home Life of Poe, p. 203-204). Mrs. Susan A. T. Weiss noted, "at the restaurant he met with some acquaintances who detained him until late, and then accompanied him to the Baltimore boat. According to their account he was quite sober and cheerful to the last, remarking, as he took leave of them, that he would soon be in Richmond again" (Weiss, "The Last Days of Edgar A. Poe," p. 714).
Taking a boat from Richmond on September 27, Poe arrived in Baltimore on September 28, 1849. Over the next few days, details about Poe's actions and whereabouts are uncertain. Even his Baltimore cousin, Neilson Poe, wrote to Maria Clemm on October 11, 1849 "where he spent the time he was here, or under what circumstances, I have been unable to ascertain" (Quinn, Edgar Allan Poe, p. 642). Poe apparently called on Dr. Nathan Covington Brooks, who was, unfortunately, out of town. (The origin of the widely repeated information for this visit to Brooks' home is elusive. G. E. Woodberry's 1885 Life of Poe (Edgar Allan Poe, 1885, p. 342) seems to be the first mention, giving a slightly extended version, with Poe being partly intoxicated. (Woodberry repeats the information in his 1909 biography of Poe with what erroneously appears to be a note that J. A. Harrison's 1902 Life of Poe as the source. No such reference occurs there and it is a note only for the sentence marked.)

Bishop Fitzgerald noted that Poe left Richmond with as much as $1,500 gathered as subscription money for his magazine (Harrison, Complete Works, Vol. I, p. 322). In a letter to E.H. N. Patterson, written on November 9, 1849, John R. Thompson claimed, "The day before he went North from Richmond, I advanced him a small sum of money for a prospective article which he probably never wrote" (Harrison, Complete Works, XVII, p. 405). If either story is true, especially Fitzgerald's, the fact that no money was ever found strongly supports the idea that Poe may have been mugged.

Thomas H. Lane's recollection adds further confusion to the story. In four slightly different accounts, he recalled that Poe had gone to Philadelphia to see friends, where he was found ill. Lane thought that Poe intended to go on to New York, but mistakenly took the train back to Baltimore (Quinn, Edgar Allan Poe, p. 637). T. O. Mabbott felt that Lane was correct in the details of the event, but mistaken as to the year, relating instead what had occurred in 1848 (Mabbott, Poems, 1969, p. 568 n. 6). Moran also states that Poe went to Philadelphia, but that bad weather prevented completion of the trip (Moran, Defense of Poe, p 58). Poe may have gone to Philadelphia to comply with the request of Mrs. Leon Loud, to edit her collection of poems, for which Poe was to be paid $100. This clearly was his intent when he wrote to Maria Clemm on September 18, "On Tuesday I start for Phila[delphia] to attend to Mrs Loud's Poems -- & possibly on Thursday I may start for N. York. If I do I will go straight over to Mrs Lewis's & send for you. It will be better for me not to go to Fordham -- don't you think so? Write immediately in reply & direct to Phila. For fear I should not get the letter, sign no name & address it to E. S. T. Grey Esqr. . . . Don't forget to write immediately to Phila so that your letter will be there when I arrive" (Ostrom, Letters, p. 461). Why Poe felt that he would not get a letter correctly addressed and why it would be better for him not to go to Fordham is unclear.

The next certain information about Poe is October 3, 1849, when he was found on the street in Baltimore by Joseph Walker. Walker sent this note to Dr. J. E. Snodgrass: "Dear Sir, -- There is a gentleman, rather the worse for wear, at Ryan's 4th ward polls, who goes under the cognomen of Edgar A. Poe, and who appears in great distress, & he says he is acquainted with you, and I assure you, he is in need of immediate assistance, Yours, in haste, Jos. W. Walker." Walker, apparently, helped Poe into Gunner's Hall, a public house nearby, to wait for the arrival of his friend. Dr. Snodgrass and Henry Herring (Poe's uncle) came and found Poe in what they presumed was a drunken state. They agreed that he should be sent to the Washington College Hospital, and arranged for a carriage.

At the hospital, Poe was admitted and made as comfortable as the circumstances permitted. Over the next few days, Poe seems to have lapsed in and out of consciousness. Moran tried to question him as to the cause of his condition, but Poe's "answers were incoherent and unsatisfactory" (Moran to Maria Clemm, November 15, 1849). Neilson Poe tried to visit him, but was told that Edgar was too excitable for visitors. Depending on which account one accepts, Poe died at about 3:00 a.m. or 5:00 a.m. on October 7, 1849. Moran gives his last words as "Lord help my poor soul" (Moran to Maria Clemm, November 15, 1849) or, even more improbably, "He who arched the heavens and upholds the universe, has His decrees legibly written upon the frontlet of every human being and upon demaons incarnate" (Moran, A Defense of Poe, p. 72). Moran also claims that on the evening prior to his death, Poe repeatedly called out the name of "Reynolds." Substantial efforts have been made to identify who Reynolds may have been, with unimpressive results. At least one scholar felt that Poe may have instead been calling the name of "Herring" (Poe's uncle was Henry Herring) (W. T. Bandy, "Dr. Moran and the Poe-Reynolds Myth," Myths and Realities: The Mysterious Mr. Poe, Baltimore: E. A. Poe Society, 1987, pp. 26-36).

Poe's clothing had been changed. In place of his own suit of black wool was one of cheap gabardine, with a palm leaf hat. Moran describes his clothing as "a stained, faded, old bombazine coat, pantaloons of a similar character, a pair of worn-out shoes run down at the heels, and an old straw hat" (Moran, Defense of Poe, p. 59.) J. E. Snodgrass offers a more detailed description: "a rusty, almost brimless, tattered and ribbonless palmleaf hat. His clothing consisted of a sack-coat of thin and sleazy black alpaca, ripped more or less at several of its seams, and faded and soiled, and pants of a steel-mixed pattern of caseinate, half-worn and badly-fitting, if they could be said to fit at all. He wore neither vest nor neck-cloth, while the bosom of his shirt was both crumpled and badly soiled. On his feet were boots of coarse material, and giving no sign of having been blackened for a long time, if at all" (Snodgrass, "The Facts of Poe's Death and Burial," p. 284). Moran also quotes Capt. George W. Rollins, supposedly the conductor of the train, as noting two men who appeared to be following Poe (Moran, Defense of Poe, pp. 60-61.) Most modern biographies take care to note that in spite of the change of clothing, Poe still had Dr. Carter's cane. According to Susan A. Weiss, this cane was sent by Moran to Mrs. Clemm, who returned it to Dr. Carter (Weiss, Home Life of Poe, p. 205), but this seems to be a misinterpretation of Dr. Carter's own testimony. It has also been suggested that the key to his trunk was still in his pocket, although this statement seems based on little more than speculation. The key itself is on display in the Poe Museum in Richmond, as is Poe's trunk. It is equally reasonable that Mrs. Clemm may simply have had a second key.

The only contemporary public reference to a specific cause of death was from the Baltimore Clipper, a somewhat cryptic "congestion of the brain" (The Poe Log, p. 851). Death certificates were apparently not required at the time and none is known to have been filed for Poe. Dr. Moran's November 15, 1849 letter to Maria Clemm unhelpfully avoids the simple information we would have liked by saying "Presuming you are already aware of the malady of which Mr. Poe died . . ." In the late 1960s, Birgit Bramsback made an ardent search for a death certificate or any official hospital records, but found nothing (Bramsback, "The Final Illness and Death of E. A. Poe," p 40, n. 3).
,500 gathered as subscription money for his magazine (Harrison, Complete Works, Vol. I, p. 322). In a letter to E.H. N. Patterson, written on November 9, 1849, John R. Thompson claimed, "The day before he went North from Richmond, I advanced him a small sum of money for a prospective article which he probably never wrote" (Harrison, Complete Works, XVII, p. 405). If either story is true, especially Fitzgerald's, the fact that no money was ever found strongly supports the idea that Poe may have been mugged.

Thomas H. Lane's recollection adds further confusion to the story. In four slightly different accounts, he recalled that Poe had gone to Philadelphia to see friends, where he was found ill. Lane thought that Poe intended to go on to New York, but mistakenly took the train back to Baltimore (Quinn, Edgar Allan Poe, p. 637). T. O. Mabbott felt that Lane was correct in the details of the event, but mistaken as to the year, relating instead what had occurred in 1848 (Mabbott, Poems, 1969, p. 568 n. 6). Moran also states that Poe went to Philadelphia, but that bad weather prevented completion of the trip (Moran, Defense of Poe, p 58). Poe may have gone to Philadelphia to comply with the request of Mrs. Leon Loud, to edit her collection of poems, for which Poe was to be paid 0. This clearly was his intent when he wrote to Maria Clemm on September 18, "On Tuesday I start for Phila[delphia] to attend to Mrs Loud's Poems -- & possibly on Thursday I may start for N. York. If I do I will go straight over to Mrs Lewis's & send for you. It will be better for me not to go to Fordham -- don't you think so? Write immediately in reply & direct to Phila. For fear I should not get the letter, sign no name & address it to E. S. T. Grey Esqr. . . . Don't forget to write immediately to Phila so that your letter will be there when I arrive" (Ostrom, Letters, p. 461). Why Poe felt that he would not get a letter correctly addressed and why it would be better for him not to go to Fordham is unclear.

The next certain information about Poe is October 3, 1849, when he was found on the street in Baltimore by Joseph Walker. Walker sent this note to Dr. J. E. Snodgrass: "Dear Sir, -- There is a gentleman, rather the worse for wear, at Ryan's 4th ward polls, who goes under the cognomen of Edgar A. Poe, and who appears in great distress, & he says he is acquainted with you, and I assure you, he is in need of immediate assistance, Yours, in haste, Jos. W. Walker." Walker, apparently, helped Poe into Gunner's Hall, a public house nearby, to wait for the arrival of his friend. Dr. Snodgrass and Henry Herring (Poe's uncle) came and found Poe in what they presumed was a drunken state. They agreed that he should be sent to the Washington College Hospital, and arranged for a carriage.

At the hospital, Poe was admitted and made as comfortable as the circumstances permitted. Over the next few days, Poe seems to have lapsed in and out of consciousness. Moran tried to question him as to the cause of his condition, but Poe's "answers were incoherent and unsatisfactory" (Moran to Maria Clemm, November 15, 1849). Neilson Poe tried to visit him, but was told that Edgar was too excitable for visitors. Depending on which account one accepts, Poe died at about 3:00 a.m. or 5:00 a.m. on October 7, 1849. Moran gives his last words as "Lord help my poor soul" (Moran to Maria Clemm, November 15, 1849) or, even more improbably, "He who arched the heavens and upholds the universe, has His decrees legibly written upon the frontlet of every human being and upon demaons incarnate" (Moran, A Defense of Poe, p. 72). Moran also claims that on the evening prior to his death, Poe repeatedly called out the name of "Reynolds." Substantial efforts have been made to identify who Reynolds may have been, with unimpressive results. At least one scholar felt that Poe may have instead been calling the name of "Herring" (Poe's uncle was Henry Herring) (W. T. Bandy, "Dr. Moran and the Poe-Reynolds Myth," Myths and Realities: The Mysterious Mr. Poe, Baltimore: E. A. Poe Society, 1987, pp. 26-36).

Poe's clothing had been changed. In place of his own suit of black wool was one of cheap gabardine, with a palm leaf hat. Moran describes his clothing as "a stained, faded, old bombazine coat, pantaloons of a similar character, a pair of worn-out shoes run down at the heels, and an old straw hat" (Moran, Defense of Poe, p. 59.) J. E. Snodgrass offers a more detailed description: "a rusty, almost brimless, tattered and ribbonless palmleaf hat. His clothing consisted of a sack-coat of thin and sleazy black alpaca, ripped more or less at several of its seams, and faded and soiled, and pants of a steel-mixed pattern of caseinate, half-worn and badly-fitting, if they could be said to fit at all. He wore neither vest nor neck-cloth, while the bosom of his shirt was both crumpled and badly soiled. On his feet were boots of coarse material, and giving no sign of having been blackened for a long time, if at all" (Snodgrass, "The Facts of Poe's Death and Burial," p. 284). Moran also quotes Capt. George W. Rollins, supposedly the conductor of the train, as noting two men who appeared to be following Poe (Moran, Defense of Poe, pp. 60-61.) Most modern biographies take care to note that in spite of the change of clothing, Poe still had Dr. Carter's cane. According to Susan A. Weiss, this cane was sent by Moran to Mrs. Clemm, who returned it to Dr. Carter (Weiss, Home Life of Poe, p. 205), but this seems to be a misinterpretation of Dr. Carter's own testimony. It has also been suggested that the key to his trunk was still in his pocket, although this statement seems based on little more than speculation. The key itself is on display in the Poe Museum in Richmond, as is Poe's trunk. It is equally reasonable that Mrs. Clemm may simply have had a second key.

The only contemporary public reference to a specific cause of death was from the Baltimore Clipper, a somewhat cryptic "congestion of the brain" (The Poe Log, p. 851). Death certificates were apparently not required at the time and none is known to have been filed for Poe. Dr. Moran's November 15, 1849 letter to Maria Clemm unhelpfully avoids the simple information we would have liked by saying "Presuming you are already aware of the malady of which Mr. Poe died . . ." In the late 1960s, Birgit Bramsback made an ardent search for a death certificate or any official hospital records, but found nothing (Bramsback, "The Final Illness and Death of E. A. Poe," p 40, n. 3).
http://www.eapoe.org/geninfo/poedeath.htm
 
Presuming you are already aware of the malady of which Mr. Poe died . .

Bearing in mind they also said he had 'susceptibility' to alcohol and opium, the malady quote (above) suggests that they thought he had been 'up to his old tricks again' and just assumed that the cause of his death was his own weakness in this area. This is only my opinion. If he had a history of abuse of either substance it would seem a reasonable explanation to those close to him that he had just over indulged. That doesn't explain the change of clothes though....
 
Surely as he was bitten by adog months before his death, the symptoms would be consistent with Rabies...

Suggesting he'd been up to his old tricks again would be a way for the great and the good to sully the reputation of someone they didn't approve.:monster:
 

Edgar Allan Poe’s Final Macabre Mystery: His Own Death

“Imagine a 19th century mystery that begins with a man slipping in and out of consciousness in a Baltimore hospital bed in clothes that are not his own. While he has periods of semi-lucidity, he is more often wracked by delirium, incoherently babbling and shouting out the name “Reynolds” to the puzzlement of all around him. After a short period of recovery, he suddenly takes a turn for the worse, says “Lord, help my poor soul!” and dies.

This is the 19th century, so the cause of death is listed as alcoholism, because how else can you explain such strange symptoms. But in reality, no one knows. Nor do they know how the man came to be found unconscious in a city he wasn’t supposed to be in wearing someone else’s clothes after having disappeared for five days.

It would be the perfect case for Sherlock Holmes or Inspector Morseor, dare we say, C. Auguste Dupin, the first detective to appear in fiction. This last investigator would be fitting as the scene is ripped from the real life and real death of his creator, Edgar Allan Poe.

220px-Edgar_Allan_Poe%2C_circa_1849%2C_restored%2C_squared_off.jpg


On Oct. 7, 1849, Poe died under mysterious circumstances at the age of 40. His life may have been short, but it was filled with drama and turbulence—literary brilliance, scandal, tragedy, and heartbreak, some of which was due to life circumstances, some to circumstances of his own making.”

The full account, with theories as to cause of death.

maximus otter
 
Poisoned drink in a bar, then robbed?
 
I wonder if he'd had a series of small strokes, leading to mental confusion and an inability to communicate. They may also have caused him to soil himself, so he may have picked up some clothes from somewhere in a panicky need to change. Larger and more severe strokes may have followed, leading to death.
 
Back
Top