What happened to Edgar Allan Poe?
Bells, bells, bells!
Mystery Mob!
Happy Friday!! This week we’re going to talk about the strange, and dare I say, mysterious, death of Edgar Allan Poe. The famous writer, on the night before his death, repeatedly called out for "Reynolds"—a figure who, to this day, remains a mystery.
But before we get any further, let me reveal the answer to Wednesday’s riddle:
Who makes it, has no need of it.
Who buys it, has no use for it.
Who uses it can neither see nor feel it.
What is it?
Answer: A coffin (or tomb) (or casket) (or mausoleum)
Did you solve it? I hope so! If you can’t crack these riddles, you’ll have a tough time with the virtual escape room we’re currently beta testing!!
But back to today’s topic -- Mr. Poe. Let’s get into it.
Delirious and drunk on election day? Sounds like a good time
Baltimore. October 3, 1849. Election Day.
An employee of the Baltimore Sun named Joseph W. Walker headed toward Gunner’s Hall, a pub but on this day a pop-up polling location. Just before walking in, he saw a man.
The man was semi-conscious, dressed in second-hand clothes, and literally lying in a gutter. Walker examined him up close, thinking the man might be dead. He was alive. And he was none other than the poet Edgar Allan Poe.
He only lived four more days after being found, finally dying on October 7th. And he never regained enough consciousness to explain how he ended up in a gutter with soiled clothes.
*Record scratch* Yep, that’s me. I bet you’re wondering how I got here. - Edgar Allan Poe, maybe.
Let’s take this back a week. On September 27th, Poe left Richmond, Virginia and headed for Philadelphia to edit some collections for a friend and fellow poet, Mrs. St. Leon Loud. After Philadelphia he was slated to head to New York to pick up his aunt and head back to Virginia for his own wedding.
But he never got to Mrs. St. Leon Loud’s estate.
And he never made it to New York.
In fact, when Walker found him in the gutter in Baltimore, it was the first anyone had seen him since he left Richmond.
On his deathbed, he repeatedly called out for "Reynolds"—a figure who, to this day, remains a mystery.
So what happened? Well, we still don’t know. But there are some theories...
Gosh, this guy sounds like he’s “RAVEN” MAD
These are the most popular theories:
He was robbed and beaten. In 1867, a biographer suggested this and, in a nice time capsule of what 1860s medicine was like, even noted that “brain fever” typically follows beatings of this nature.
Cooping. What the heck is cooping you ask? Yeah, I did too. Apparently it was a fraudulent voting practice back in the day. People would get kidnapped, disguised, and forced to vote for a particular candidate. This theory purports that this was done to Poe several times and when paired with the pre-prohibition practice of polling places handing out drinks to voters as a reward, would explain his drunk-like state.
Alcohol poisoning. Apparently it was sort of a well known thing that Poe couldn’t hold his alcohol. So basically, this theory holds that he drank himself to death. Yikes.
Carbon monoxide poisoning. In 1999, a researcher hypothesized that indoor lighting from the 19th century was the cause of his delirious state and death. Meh.
Heavy metal/mercury poisoning. His hair was tested in the late 1990s and heavy metals/mercury were found. But they were 30 times less than the amount needed for poisoning. So this one’s basically out.
Rabies. Although no animal bite or fear of water was recorded, this one is neat. Apparently in 1996, at a clinical pathologic conference, they used only the initials E.P. to eliminate bias and presented his case as a study. The doctors in attendance voted rabies.
Flu. Delirium from a bad flu that went untreated. Could be. But it’s boring so I’m out.
Murdah. One theory postulates that Poe did make it Philly. And there, the brothers of Poe’s bride-to-be, who had warned Poe against marrying their sister already, ambushed him. Poe escaped and found second-hand clothes to disguise himself in. But the brothers caught back up with him in Baltimore, beat him up and forced him to drink a deathly amount of whiskey. This one’s...a stretch. But hey, it’s interesting.
So what do you all think?
Crazy, yeah? Any theories we missed? Any you’ve come up with on your own? Let us know in the comments!
As always,
Stay ‘spicious
-Andy & Mark
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