The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1868-07-23
Tho Inst Hnnrs Of Poe.

. Inc lnSt HOUIh OF roe
DR.. j. T., Snodgmss furnishes to a
monthly the following graphic account of
the last hours of the poet:
On Tuesday, November l, 1910, a wet
and chilly day, 1 received a note, bearing a
signature which I recognized as that Of n
printer named Walker, who had set type
for the Baltimore Sunday Visitor while |
was editing ii, aud thus became aware of
my deep interest in Mr.. Poe. II stated
that a man claiming Poe's name, and said
to be acquainted with me, was at Booth &
Se~rgeant's tavern in Lombard street, nenf
High, Baltimore, in q beastly state of in
toxication and evident destitution, and that
he had been heard to utter my name as
that of an acquaintance.
l Immediately repaired to the drinking
saloonLfor such 1t was, although dignifed
by the designation of tavem-and, sure
enough there was Edgar Allan Poe. in a
condition that had been but too faithfully
described by Mr.. Walker He was In the
bar-room, sitting in an arm chair, with his
head dropped forward, and so stupefed
with liquor, aud SO altered from the neatly
dressed and vivaoious gentleman which he
was when | had the pleasure Of a call from
him, that, unaided, ] should not have dis
tinguished him from the crowd of less in
toxicated men whom the occasion ofelection
had called together az the tavern, a. the
voting place Of the ward in which he was
located. ..f| go ..Iuu1 DO %" ..
The Washington College Hospital having
been fixed upon, a messenger was disJ
patched to procure a carriage. While
awniting It's arrival, ] had an opportunity
to observe more closely than | had taken
time to do previously, the condition and
|aI..wa1 90 gha aNVusaValkf ataVuAeVhaHal
! being i'm the bar-room, who wore a name
which was a synonym for genius-the FIRST
glance at whose tout ensemble was well cal
culated TO recall Poe's wi 80 frequently
limited neutrality-suspicious.
His face was haggard, not to say bloat-
ed, and unwashed, his hair unkempt, and
his whole physic repulsive. His expan-
sive forehead, with its wondrous breadth
between the point where phrenslogists To-
cate the organ ideality-the widest /
ever measured-and that full-orbed and
mellow, yet soulful eye, for which he was
so noticeable when himself, how lustreless
and vacant they appeared to be now,
shaded from view by . rusty, almost
brimleas, tattered and ribbonless palm
leaf hat. His clothing consisted OF a sack
coat OF thin and glazed black alpaca, rip
ped more or less at several Of It's seams,
and faded and soiled, and pants of a steel
mixed pattern Of cassinette, half worn aud
badly fitting, If they could be said to fit at
all. He wore neither vest nor neckclOth,
while the bosom of his shirt was both
crumpled and soiled On his feet were
boots of coarse material, and giving no
signs Of having been BACKED .or q long
time, if at MI.
The carriage having arrived, we tried TO
get the objecto of our care upon his feet, so
that he might tho more easily be taken to
it. But no was past locomotion. We
therefore carried him to the coach as If he
were o corpse, and lifted him into Il in the
same manner. While We were doing this,
what was left Of one Of the most remarka.
} bic ombodiments OF genius the world has
produced in all the centuries Of It's history
l 1.-The author Of a single poem which alone
, has been adiudged by more thnn one critic
/ as emitting its p~roducertoa lasting and en-
, yiable fame-vhs so utterly voiceless os to
1 be capable Of only muttering scarcely in
telligible oaths, and other forms Of impre-
l cation upon those who were trying to res
! cue him from destruction and disgTace.
I The carriage was driven directly % the
hospital, where it's unconscious occupant
was assigned TO the care of its intelligent
and kindly resident physician. Of the
numerous and strangely contradictory
memoirs of Mr.. Poe that | have preserved
there lies one before me, which states thai
3 insanity ensued, and that next morning
! he died a miserable, raving maniac.
As 10 time, this is not true. He lived
nearly a week, instead Of dying mex
day, as one account has it, or Sin u few
hours, as another records 1t, but dying OF
20 the 7th of the same month, Monday. BE
: sides it might convey the idea that he hai
/ no lucid moments. But he had; and il
d one of these an incident trGnspired which
J. while its mention may serve to extend tn,
S already long, as well as increasing recon,
e of the last words Of noted men, it will no
! be recognized as anything but character
Z istic Mr.. Poe, who was always haunted b,
o terrible, vague apprehension Of death anC
the grave. When the hospital physician
u became satisfied that the author Of evil
liam Wilson" q ~fayorite tAl" of Mr.. Poe
and Of The Raven, " had written his las
story and his last poem, he addressed hin
e in a concerned and kindly manner, saying
g "Mr. Poe, it is my painful duty to inform
: you that you have, in my judgment, onl,
a very short time to live. II you have an,
G friends whom you would like TO see, nam
Y them, and your wish shall be ,gratifed;
d will summon them"
Friends r exclaimed the dying son o
e genius-"Friend repeating the wor,
c for a moment, as if it had no longer a def
e mite meaning, my best friend would be h
who would take a pistol and blow out thes
id wretched brains !" pressing his han
y to his forehead 90 he uttered the awful i'm