Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1885-05-01
EDGAR ALLEN P0E'S LAST ILLNESS AND
hEATH.

attended Poe as his physician in
the illness preceding his death, has
written a monograph of less than a
hundred pages in defense Of the
weird genius who made his name
immortal by the exquisite beauty
of his poems. The monograph is
preceded by a very admirable por-
trait Of Poe, engraved on steel, by
John Sartain, of Philadelphia. 1t
is dedica ed to Mrs. Sarah Il.
Shelton, of Richmond, Va, the
Annabel Lee whom Poe loved be-
fore he was married and after his
wife died, and to whom he was en-
gagged at the time of his death.
The good Doctor announces at the
start that he wrote the book at the
solicitation Of POe's friends, and
particularly his mother-iH-law, Mrs.
Maria GLENN, and his aflianced,
Mrs. Shelton. The task was not
of bis seeking. He has viewed it
with reluctance during all the
thirty-fve years that have elapsed
since he closed the eyes of the dead
poet. But he feels that he owes it
to Poe's friends, especially those
who were so dear TO him, to tell all
that he knows about POe's last
hours on earth. The Doctor states
most emphatically on the evidence
of Poe's friends that Poe was a
temperate man. As to his last i'll
ness, he can speak positively. lie
says he was not at all under the
influence of Intoxicating liquors,
nor did he die from the effects of
them. For several years before
his death Poe was perfectly temper
ate. DR.. Moran quotes on this
point a remark made by Poe to
his friend, DR.. G. White, of
Richmond, and recently repeat
ed to DR.. Moran: you are
acquainted, said Poe, with
the character of the gentle
men with whom I am daily associ-
ated; you know them TO be gentle
men well educated and highly
esteemed. Their habits are to take
a glass of toddy two or three times
a day and occasionally to be intoxi.
Gated. l have at long intervals
participated, and have at long inter
felt its effects, but l paid the
/ penalty by four or five days in bed.
l could not become dram drinker;
it would have soon killed me- This
relates to his earlier life at the
time when he is said by his detrac.
tors to have been most dissipated.
After reviewing the history Of
Poe's life DR.. Moran describes his
last DAYS. DR.. Moran says that
Mrs. Shelton, then POe's aflianced,
tells him that the poet parted from
her at her residence at 4 p. NJ, Oct.
4, 1S49, to take the steamer COlum-
bus for Baltimore, intending to
visit Philadelphia and New York
to close up some business he had
with certain publishers, and return
to Richmond in a few days. She
states that when he said good by
he paused a moment, as if reflect
ing, and then said to her: Il have
a singular feeling amounting to a
preseutiment that this will be our
last meeting until we meet to part
no more,' and then walked slowly
and sadly away. THE boat arrived
at Baltimore says Dr.. Moran,
about four o'clock on the morning
of October 8. 1t landed at its dock
on the corner of Pratt and Light
streets. Poe started for the hotel
on Pratt street, north side, opposite
the Philadelphia depot, called
! Brsdshaw's, now the Maltby House.
He left for Philadelphia about
noon, and went as far as the Sus.
quehanna river, across which the
passengers had to be transferred,
by boat, as there was no bridge
at that time. The river being
very rough, Poe refused to
venture across. He remained
on the cars and returned to Bal
timore, arriving there about s
p. NJ. A porter carried his trunk
to the hotel he had left in the
morning. Alighting from the cars,
he turned down Pratt street, on
the south side, and walked toward
the dock where his boat was. He
was followed by two suspicious
characters, and when he reach
ed the southwest corner OF
Pratt and Light streets he was
seized by the two roughs
and dragged into one OF the
many sinks Of inquity which lined
the wharf. He was drugged,
robbed and stripped Of every
yestige OF the clothes he had on
. when he left Richmond and the
cars little while before, and re-
clothed with stained, faded, old
bombazlne coat, pantaloons OF a
, similar character, a pair of worn,
out shoes run down at the heels
and an old straw hat. Later in
this cold October night he was
driven or thrown out of the den
in a semicOsscious state, aud, feel
ing his way in the dark ness, he
stumbled upon skid, or n long,
> wide board, lying across some
barrels on the west side of the
# wharf about thirty yards from th,
} den. He stretched himself upon