Smyrna times., 1882-06-07
Poe the Poet.
INTERESTING "REMINISCENCES OF MS
LAST HOURS AND DEATH.

Dr: John }. Moran, of Falls Church
:, falrlaX county, Va, who was resident
7" physician at the Washington Cnivcr
SHY Hospital, (nOw the Church Homo
ana lnllrlnaryl, on North Broadway
rom March, 1919, to October. 1877
VISITED the institution Yesterday fo,
tne hrst time since the dissolution al
ms official connection Herewith Dr
Moran pointed out the room ocrur;ed
T. by Edgar Allen Poe, and related Tho
e circumstances of his death. which
5 occurred October 9TH, 1919 The Doc
| tor states that on the 9th of October
| about A. NJ, Mr. Poe was BROUGHT tn
1 the hospital in a hack driven bv an
l irlshman, who stated that he had f1und
Hls passenger on Light street wharf
III reply TO an inquiry whether the
I Seh'leman was intoxicated, the hack
. man stated that there was no smell of
liquor about him, and that he had lift
G1 MN INTO the carriage like child
III. MORAN dld not recognize his patient
SHll! Ihe AacKman presented Il card
bearing Poe's name.
MI. roe was unconscious and very
paIe. lie was placed in the third story
room OF the turret, at the southwest
corner OF the building, about : bv 10
leet III size. nurse was stationed at
CHe dOor, with instruction to call DIR
Moran when the patient awoke. which
occurred IN twenty minutes. The
Doctor being much interested in his
paueht, went Immediately to his
sue. y glance sufiiced to Show that
hf. zoe was extremely i'll, and he was
so informed. In reply to a question
he said he did not know how lone bn
mad been sick, and could oive mo
account of Himself. He was much snr.
Prlsed when informed that he was in -
hospital. He stated that he had etnn'
ped at hotel on Pratt street. where =
lIuAA containing his papers and man
uscripts had been left. The trunk w,as
sei!' Ior' Dut the owner made no further
reference to IL. DR. Moran proceeded
20 niake a diagnosis of the case. The
P"'leht was very weak, but there was
no tTemof o; the limbs, no agitation of (
!le body, no smell of liquor on the /
orealn OF person, nor any symptom of +
liiitoAlcatlon. Owing to the weak CON !
dltlon OF the patient nr. Moran decided .
70 administer stimulant. and so in
formed him. Mr.. Poe said; "Tf
thought its potency would transport
me 10 the elysian bowers of the undis-
covered spirit world / would not touch
IT, Dr. Moran then proposed an
anodyne, when Mr. Poe reioiped.
WIN sisters to the doomed and crazed
in perdition." ''''e"
MI. zoe continued to converse most
despondingly, but was relieved bv
snort intervals of sleep. As his body
grew weaker his mind retained its force
ana his conscious moments were mark
ea ny vivid flashes of his characteristic
genius. Nearing the end. Mr.. Poe
became as gentle as child. He died
an hour past midnight, sixteen hours (
a1ter his arrival at the hospital. The
cause OF death was exhaustion cf tie
nervous fluid, the result Of exnosnre
munger and othcr causes acting unon -
sensitive organization.
g., Inc remains were laid in state in the
large reception room in the rotundo
OF the college. where they were viewed /;
by many persons. Fully fif1v ladies
received locks of the dead poets hair :
which fell in jet black ringlets about !
ms brow. The funeral took nlocn on !
Ihe afternoon of October Sth, 1915. tbc =
remains being interrcd ia the buryin~-
ground al Westminster Presbvterian
Church, where the monument has since '
been erected. '''''' 7'''07 !
D[: Moran Nnhesitatingly and en- :,
Pnatlcally pr0nOunces false the stories u
NAT nave been published of Poe's death .
having been caused by drink. Tn com. {
enancc with requests from Mr.. Poe's !,
and Mrs. Sarah 3. Sbel. Il
on, OF Richmond, Va, the original of =
T., Anaabei Lee" DR.. Moran made core- u
al inquiry into Mr.. Poe's movements 3
previous to his arrival at the hosu;toI "
I was ascertained that he left Rich !"
mona on the 4ta of October for Philo- II,
ietFhia and New York, and arrived !, "
3altlmore by boat ON the 18th, lie !,
eglstered at Eradshaw's Hotel which l;
tood on tha site of the present Malthv =,
1onS6. After a short STAY there he -
ook train at the depot. then stapding -
m N the opposite side of the street for 81 81
Philadelphia. The train prooeeded to eN
iavrc de GTaOo, where passengers 81 >.
!ere then transferred by ferry across u
no Susquehanna. The river. hewevpr a.
ias so turbulent that Mr.. Poe declined '.I 81
o cross, and returned to galtimore W W
rriving in the evening. W
This was the last seen eff him bv b;s ID ID
'iends. Ho was attired in a sHit Of " "
ro9dcloth, as was his custom. and the W
eatness which marked his person "a ~ ~
opposed to have aroused tha enpiditv -
certain low characters who infested ~ ~
&c nelghborhOOd ofLight street wharf he he
he theory is that he was seized and I'D -"
ragged into some resort for thieves DC u.
mere ne was drugged and strinped of tLt'
Is clothing. cast:0tf apparel being sub. w, W.
ituted for it, lie was then disnosed W. v"
by being placed on the wharf where y, ~,
e remained all night in a stupor. nr nF nt'
loran, from his knowledge of the sub. on y.
'quent condition of Mr. Poe. firmly al "h
elleyes that he was drugged. Mr as as
oe himself, while unable to account "e oe,
r the events of the night, deoiared ga, Ss
Peatedly that his coalition was the ,,e me
suit Of TO caGscjoua act of, his own. thp ~.
&c story of ,Mr. Poe having been h;' tH'
ade drunk by politicians and forced III
vote repeatedly at an election, DR.
oran states is absurd, as the eleotjon
ok place on the Sd of October, and Is
r. Poe did not leave Ricbmopd until wo
G 1tl.-R0}fIgaOrc C.,,s ant