Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1878-09-16
Edgar 4. Poe

| aries will be charged at a1Veflise!H"!'s rHteh'
EdGsr 4. Poe. .. ....
You say tha: Edgar Allen Pee dill not die
from the effects cf deliberate dissipation?
asked a Chroniel, reporter .. ......
THAT is jus; whas / mcao, and say further
that be died FROM tile effects Of deliberate
murder
| This was strange assertion; straase 10 beiog
fiat contradiction o. I, fact, or, otherwise, a
| theory, recorded 10 detail in The history Of
| American i:cratu23. The author Of The asscr-
| ton was a we'll kGoWn member OF this city d
advanced and iuvctcrato b5iulnia gentleman
who has long since retired tron lho active pur-
suits Of nis profession. and spends hS days 10
dreamy odltation--frequentlng ono OF tho
DopuIar resorts Of ;hC craft but mnslog ll;tc
| in the Idle 5abbic oftho thr0ng. When drawO
iro conversation, it is generally to corrocr somo
error iroM lis ineXhaustible nine ot reaiins'
| caace, aad or such Occasl0os als words are ieS
| aud precise. ......,
! "Ther you know something Of ihc poet and
bis history, Doctor?'
"With few others. was ono OF hl' ID
mate associates fur years. Much that has becn
| Poe was not what is called periodical drunkar<
| holding himself to spells OF total sobrietg -
| then giving way to violent bouts or :"
tempcrauce; bat lie was a steady drinke;
and Whcn bis means permitted he Wauld drIph
to excess His habitusl resort in Baltirc;
WAS the widow Meggher's place. This Was :.
oysserstand and qucr bar on the city t'r7:,
corresponding in some respect With the CO.."
shoys in Saa Francisco. 1t was freqoe"te
| muoh By the printers aud rncn engaged 10 p.
shipping o!ficcs, and ranked as r;s2ec.-h
place, where parties cou!d read the pa" -
cnjoy game OF cards, Or cDgagc n soo'.l 60
yersatioD. Poe was great tavorlte VIZ
| old Woinan 7 OF would q! ga soc HIM - r..
| jus; behind the G7SlCr slaDj, and 60 ~ $
quiet and s1cabio IS an oyster himself y
wc1t by tho namc Of tho Bard and whe"
ties came into the shop it was Bard e"mt "
aud take nip, or Bard, take a hand '' -
game. lilo was sort OF pcGsioncr 90 $
onantauccs, as far as drinks were conGc
| Whenever the old womao net with in incde.
or idea that ticked her fancy fhc wopli "a
| Bard 10 vcrsity it. Poo a|gays comp'lrt.
wrtioc mary witty cOuplet aud at llm-r
poems Of considerable l2nsth. Much OF his
poe!ical work, quite as meri;oTious as sn:no BY
which his name was i;?incrtalzct, was thus
frittcrcd into obscr7ty. SC vas in tn:i ll::lc
| shop tha. P0o's attention WAS ca!l3d To an
| advertisement in a Philadelphia paper ot
prize for q p,lTito:icU' story, and 1t "aH E"Tr
thst he composed his famous Cod bug,
which took tho prize. heard him read II IT,.
| fora he srDt it On to philadelphia. and Whtn IT
was announced that his st0TT Was sncccssn''
| the Widow hcaghcr gave Lia taa money :"
| 20 On ard obtain Tho pTz?.
"But how about his death? -
! Poe had been shifting b3Lwoan Baltimore,
Philadelphia and Now YORK fox scVcrAi years
| He had bacn away from Baltimore abou! three
months, and turned up one evening az the VI
! dow's was thero whom lie ca!Gc III. Bard A"I
been making little raise north, ,and it Was drinks
| all around with repeat until the crowd Wn!c do"A
tiolly. 1t was the night before al c;cc.lcn, nni
the part y started up town. Tuero wcro lolr o.
Us and VIC hal not gone half dozen tGlsriS
| bsforo we were nabhed by policemen, who Wero
looking for voters to coop 1t WAS tho practice
| in thoso days to Ge13 people, whether drunk or
sober, lock thcn up until tho pCl!e Wcre opcncA
and then march them to every prec!rct III coh-
torol of the party having the coop This coop
was in tho rear Of an englnchou5o on calvert
street. Ii was part Of the gamo TO stupely tho
prisoners with drugged liquor. The next day
we were voted 81 thirty ditloroncn places; snl
over and over, it being IS much - 4 mahs I.!H
| was worth TO rebel Poo wss SO badly druggcd
.hnt he was carried on two or three rounds, hni
tbou tho gang ssid ths. il YVES no usD trying t.
yoto dead man any longer, 80 they shoTod mn.
into cab and sent him to the hospital 10 g"s
hiIn out Of tho way" ~ ..
well. nc died from dissipation"
Nothing oftba kind. He died from lauda'
mum or some Othor poison that WAS forced OH
him in tho coop. 10 W.s in q dying condition
while he YVES beiE2 vO!ad ~ or ~ times IN Bsl-
tmore. The story tod ~ nEIs"old o. ms nav
in r been on q weeks spree and being pckeI p
| on tbe street is AL & lie. saw him ehoVhd ln.o
the C. >b myseif."-Saas. Francisco Car5HtcIe. ..
TIE WOMAN VINO IS ALWAYS FAILING TO
P1EcEs,-Shc cane to the station 2. little iatt
and had to make rush lo7 tho train. Whel
she reached her scat her hat ieli off. She go
Ii. on, bus It toppled over to enc side, so'
when shc tried TO s!raightcn it up her h,i
camc tunblicg doWo. Sho lost her ticket
twcn before the conductor reached her, az.
would have lose il again lt no hadn't taken i
awav fInIa her. Sac reached no to Iu-
tuodIe 10 t,c rgck above her head, and tao'
tho collar In 'ton off Ger duiter, aud stuck II: :f
fingers O. four nins in her dress before sh'
conl1 i;n,, ono TIA: she dared to take CUT Il
rcr,;r tho damage. Then just as she though
aho had p6t comfortably settled her little h.2i
v.l;ca hacked to bursting With enough thihs
to load Saratoga l5ua ak to tho nuzzIc, cx
nj uIoied, ,ie and sho nearly worked hcEsclf iut'
fragments G getting it together ssain. Then b.
the timo she got the yallse shut up, her %
straightencd back inno lts place. her hair 'um
bled down agaiu, aud as soon as Sho got DC
hair twisted up, and harpooped it With q eUu
| plo of hair pins. the valisc went off. "nd whs'
sbe cot off at New Prague, sho tucked 'h
gasplug vailse under her arcn. and tried to Coz
raj her topping hat and wandering hair VIII
} one hand and rs she went Autteriug and strss
Cling into tho depot. one ecoudn' hslp thluk'u
: thet it would be safer and more convenient
ruu her in sections and nag her against ever!
thing. | have seen this woman On sever
other trains, and che has never been able
keep herself together. There seems to
more average humanity about her thau the
lis about her neater si5tC:. She isn't SO egg:
waiting, but she keeps you 10 state OF agonl
] ing suspense. for you mover know where sne