Edgar Allan Poe, a master of Gothic literature and the creator of detective fiction, indeed left behind a real-life mystery with his death.
He died under mysterious circumstances on October 7, 1849, at the age of 40. He was found delirious on the streets of Baltimore, wearing clothes that were not his own, and was taken to a hospital where he remained incoherent until his death.
The cause of Poe’s death has been the subject of much speculation and debate over the years.
Various theories have been proposed, including alcohol poisoning, rabies, carbon monoxide poisoning, epilepsy, cholera, and even murder.
Some suggest he was a victim of “cooping,” a practice where people were kidnapped and forced to vote multiple times in elections, often being given alcohol or drugs to keep them compliant.
Despite the many theories, the exact cause of Edgar Allan Poe’s death remains unknown, adding a layer of irony to the life of a man whose fictional detective, C. Auguste Dupin, could solve the most baffling mysteries of his time.
Poe’s final days remain one of the most perplexing mysteries in American literary history. After setting out on a speaking tour in June 1849 to raise funds for a literary magazine he intended to publish, Poe’s journey took a dark turn.
On September 27, 1849, he planned to travel from Richmond, Virginia, to Baltimore, Maryland, and then continue on to New York.
However, the night before his departure, he visited a doctor in Richmond, complaining of a fever.
What happened over the next few days is largely unknown. Poe arrived in Baltimore on September 28, but he never made it to New York. Instead, on October 3, he was found in a dire state at Ryan’s Tavern, also known as Gunner’s Hall, in Baltimore.
He was nearly unresponsive and in distress, leading bystanders to assume he was in an alcoholic stupor.
A passerby, Joseph W. Walker, found Poe in this alarming condition and sent a note to Dr. Joseph Snodgrass, a local physician and editor who knew Poe, saying,
“There is a gentleman, rather the worse for wear, at Ryan’s Fourth Ward Polls, who goes under the cognomen of Edgar A. Poe, and who appears in great distress, and he says he is acquainted with you, he is in need of immediate assistance.”
Upon his admission to Washington College Hospital, Poe’s condition remained critical, and he was never coherent enough to explain what had happened to him.
A peculiar and unsettling detail was that Poe was found wearing clothes that did not seem to belong to him—a cheap, ill-fitting suit and a straw hat, quite unlike his typical attire of a black wool suit.
This discrepancy has fueled numerous theories about his death, including the possibility that he had been a victim of a “cooping” scheme, where individuals were abducted, drugged or intoxicated, disguised in different clothing, and forced to vote multiple times in elections.
Poe remained in a state of delirium until his death on October 7, 1849, leaving behind a mystery as unresolved and haunting as the tales he wrote.
While in the hospital, Edgar Allan Poe’s condition remained critical. He drifted in and out of consciousness, frequently experiencing hallucinations and speaking incoherently.
During his moments of wakefulness, he often uttered nonsensical phrases, making it impossible for those around him to discern what had happened during the days leading up to his hospitalization.
Poe’s condition continued to deteriorate, and on October 7, 1849, he passed away.
The precise cause of his death was not determined, and the only explanation given at the time was reported by a Baltimore newspaper, which vaguely attributed his death to “congestion of the brain.”
This term was a common euphemism in the 19th century, often used to describe deaths associated with alcohol abuse, though it could have referred to various conditions, such as stroke, cerebral hemorrhage, or encephalitis.
The lack of a clear diagnosis, coupled with the mysterious circumstances surrounding his final days, has led to ongoing speculation about what ultimately caused Poe’s death.
Theories range from alcoholism and delirium tremens to more sinister explanations like poisoning, cooping, or even rabies.
Despite many efforts to solve the mystery, the true cause of Edgar Allan Poe’s death remains unknown, adding another layer of intrigue to the legacy of one of literature’s most enigmatic figures.
Edgar Allan Poe’s death in 1849 remains a mystery with several competing theories. One prominent theory is that he died from complications of alcoholism, as suggested by Dr. J.E. Snodgrass, who claimed Poe was in a state of alcohol withdrawal.
While some accounts support the idea that Poe had been drinking heavily in Baltimore, Poe had recently joined a temperance society, raising doubts about this explanation.
Additionally, John Moran, the attending physician at the hospital, believed Poe had not been drinking in the days leading up to his death and that his symptoms did not align with alcohol withdrawal.
The inconsistencies in these accounts have led to other theories, such as rabies, poisoning, or cooping, but the true cause of Poe’s death remains unknown.
Given the fragmented and often contradictory evidence surrounding Edgar Allan Poe’s final days, it seems unlikely that the true cause of his death will ever be conclusively determined.
This ambiguity continues to intrigue those who enjoy speculating about his mysterious demise.
For these “armchair detectives,” the enduring uncertainty only adds to the allure of solving one of American literature’s greatest unsolved mysteries.
