On October 7, 1849, the world lost one of the most troubled and brilliant minds it had ever seen. American author Edgar Allan Poe is credited as the inventor of the detective story, and he also greatly contributed to the genres of horror and science fiction. Though he wasn’t very popular during his life, Poe’s strangely creepy short stories like “The Masque of the Red Death” and poems such as “The Raven” have now become part of the canon of literature that is read in English classes everywhere.
With a long list of stories that centered around death and darkness, it is only fitting that Poe’s own tragic death is shrouded in mystery. As another year passes with the mystery still unsolved, let’s take another look at the facts about the death of Poe.
- A week before his death, Poe's doctor advised him not to travel.
The night before Poe set out on his journey from Richmond to Philadelphia, he was feeling a little under the weather. He visited a friend named John Carter, a doctor, who advised him not to make the trip for at least a few more days for the sake of his health. Rather than taking the advice, Poe went ahead with his trip, unaware of the consequences that would follow. - Just before his death, Poe was found wandering the streets of Baltimore wearing clothes that were not his own.
Intending to travel to Philadelphia for a business meeting, Poe never arrived at his destination. Instead, nearly a week after his departure from Richmond, Poe was found stumbling around on the streets of Baltimore, wearing soiled clothes that did not belong to him. After he was found on October 4, he spend four days in the hospital, so delirious that he was unable to ever explain what had happened to him. The only word he was able to speak was “Reynolds”—calling out the name over and over. To this day, the identity of or meaning behind “Reynolds” has yet to be discovered. - All medical records about Poe's death have been lost.
All medical records and documents that have to do with Poe’s death, including his death certificate, have been lost—that is, if they ever existed to begin with. Because of this, the exact cause of death remains unknown, and theories range from rabies to heart conditions to murder. - Poe’s death may have been the result of a voting coop.
There are many theories about Poe’s last few days alive, and one of them is based on the fact that he was picked up on October 4, which was an election day. Voter fraud was extremely common during this time in Baltimore, and the act of “cooping” was a method that involved kidnapping victims, drugging them, disguising them, and forcing them to vote for a specific candidate multiple times under different identities before leaving them for dead. Because the place where he was found was a known location for dumping cooping victims, this is a theory that has become one of the most widely accepted explanations for his untimely death. - Poe continued writing beyond the grave.
About a decade after Poe’s death, a self-proclaimed medium named Lizzie Doten published some poetry that she claims was dictated to her by Poe’s ghost. Additionally, one of Poe’s former lovers hired a medium to move in with her because she felt like his spirit was trying to communicate with her. - Poe's cat died on the same day as he did, miles away.
For reasons that are unknown, Poe’s beloved cat named Catterina was discovered dead on the same day that Poe passed away. - Poe's obituary was written by one of his biggest rivals.
On a mission to destroy Poe’s reputation, writer Rufus Wilmot Griswold wrote a degrading obituary that portrayed Poe as a womanizing alcoholic and drug addict whose dark stories were based off personal experience. Unfortunately, this twisted perspective of Poe greatly influenced popular opinion of the author for more than a century. - Many theories about Poe’s death center around alcoholism.
Many people who knew Poe remarked that after just one drink, he would become staggering drunk. Since his sister also appeared to have the same problem with handling her alcohol, it seems to be a problem that was hereditary. Because of this, many theorists believe that Poe literally drank himself to death and passed away from alcohol poisoning. This became one of the most popular theories in the years following his death. However, many of Poe’s personal friends and family dismissed these theories and remained adamant that this was not the cause of his death. - His body was moved decades after his death.
A monument was erected for Poe 26 years after his death. When his body was being transported to the new location, the coffin broke open due to decay, revealing what was left of Poe’s remains. The pieces of the broken coffin then became collector’s items. - Poe may have died from a brain tumor.
Recently, another theory about Poe’s death has surfaced that suggests he may have been the victim of a brain tumor. When his body was moved more than two decades after his death, workers remarked about a strange mass rolling around inside of his decayed skull. At the time, doctors claimed this was Poe’s brain that had shriveled up but remained intact. However, modern science tells us this is impossible—though it is possible for brain tumors to calcify after death into hard masses. This theory would also explain Poe’s strange behavior in the days leading up to his death. - Poe may have just been infected with the flu.
Since Poe appeared to be sick before he left for his trip, some theorize that he was simply down with the flu. When he continued to travel despite warnings from the doctor, the cold and rainy weather could have made the infection worse and helped it progress to pneumonia. If he was running a very high fever, this would also account for the confusion and hallucinations he was experiencing. - Poe’s hair became a collector’s item.
After Poe was admitted to the hospital and laying on his deathbed, several admirers waited for a souvenir from the poet. The physician that was over the case wrote that many visitors took locks of Poe’s hair, several of which are now owned by the official Edgar Allan Poe museum in Richmond, Va.. - Only seven people attended Poe's funeral.
Despite his popularity today, Poe was a lonely man at the time of his death. The day after he died, his cousins quickly buried him in an unmarked grave. An observer of his funeral ceremonies described his burial as “unchristianlike” and “cold-blooded.”
(Image via the Edgar Allan Poe Museum)
