The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1889-01-30
EOW EDGAR POE DIED.
One of the Men who Druggsd Him Tells
the Story.

the story.
No American poet has attracted more
attention. living and dead, than Edgar
A. Pee. Nine lives Of him have been
written, yet about no celebrated writer OF
modem times las it been so difficult to
get the real facts Of his life and death,
writes Eugene L. Did!er IN the Nov
York Star. According to some of hls
biographers he mingled among men like
g bewildered angel, while others describe
him aa prying fcni. or en- lsmaeilte,
with his hand against every one and
every ones again, St him. The time aud
place OF his birth were for many years
uncertain; even now some OF his bio
eraphers still differ as to that matter.
The place of his burial was at one time
undecided, but that was definitely settled
in 1875, who. his remains were discover
ed III Westminster ehurchyard. B;.itl
nlore, acI monument Of seven feet SIX
iuch: high erect over his grave. The
cause of lis death and the circumstances
attending il have not yet been definitely
dese. IN. Cd, aid everything that throws
aey !ig:ii npon the subject viii prove H.
teies;iEs to his many admirers.
i fcrm:: G.!timofean, now living III
San. Francisco. gives what he claims to
Ii; d true account OF the poets last days
and death. i,his is his story: 81 was in
tin1ately acquainted with Edgar Allen
Po., for years. Much thai has been said
and written ia regard to his death Is
fsise. His G...i,;t,iai resort in Baltimore
was the WIDOW Meagher's place. This
vas an oyster stand and liquor bar on
Tie city front, corresponding in some
respects With the coffee houses OF San.
Francisco. 1t vas !r' qlented much bJ
r:iutsrs, and ranked as respectable
pigce, where parties could enjoy game
OF cards or engage III social conversation.
Poe was great favorite With the old
woman. The favorite sea5 Of the poet
was Just behind the stand, and he Was
about as quiet and soc!able as an oyster
himself. lie went By the name OF Bard,
AMI VIXEN parties came into the shop 1t
was Bard, come up and take nip,
or Bard, come up and takes hand n the
game Whenever Widow Msagher met
With any incident or idea that tiekled
her fancy she would ask the Bard to
yestifs it. Poe always complied, writing
many 6 witty coupltt, and at times
poems OF some length. These verses,
quits as meritoriops as some by which
his name was inmorilized we're thus
frittered into obscursty. It was in this
little shop that Poe's attention was called
to an advertisement in a Philadelphia
pap.r for prize for the best story, and
it was there that Re wrote his famous
Gold Bug which carried off the Sl0C
prize.
::Poe had been shifting for many years
between Baltimore, Philadelphia and
New York. He had bsen away from Bal
timole for three or four months, when
he turned up one evening at the Widow
Mesgher's. I was there when ne came
in. He privately told me thai he had
been TO Richmond and was on his wey
north to get ready for his wedding. Il
WAS drink all around and repeat until the
crowd IVES pretty full. 1t was the night
before election, and four of US, including
Poe, started up. We had gone half 8
dozen squares when We were nabbed by
a gang of men who were on the lookou!
for voters to coop It wss tie practice
in those days to seize people, whether
drunk or sober, lcck them up until the
polls were opened, and then march than
around to every precinct, where they
were made to vote the ticket
of the party that controlled the coop.
Our coop was in the rear OF an engine
house on Calvert straet. It was part Of
the game to stupefy the prisoners Will
drugged liquor. We'll, tae next day We
were voted at thirty-one different places,
and over aud over, it being SIS much as
e mans life WAS worth to rebel. Poe Wa:
50 badly arusged that, after he We:
carried on two or 'lres different rounds
the gang said it was NO use to vote
deed mau any longer. So they showed
him into cab and sent him to a hosplta
to get him out of the way.
"rhe commonly accepted story tia
Poe died from the effects OF dissipation
is all bosh. It was nothing OF the kind
He died from laudanum or soma otlel
poison that was forced upon him in tn:
coop. He wss il dying condition
when he was bei.g voted around The
city. The story 5old By GrisWcld o
Poc'5 having been ona weeks spree, ane
being picked mp on the street, Is false
I 81 " him showed into the cab mysel
and he told ne he had just arrived Il
the city.
Tue above narrative will form an IN
teressing chapter in the life and death O.
the poor, whose life was romance anc
whose death was tragedy. Ghe account
of Poe's last days agrees in several re
spects with the account which the latt
Cnie; Judge Nelson Poe, of Baltimore
gave to the undersigned. 1t IS palnfu
to think that man of Poe's wonderful
genius would, after life OF intolersbIe
misery, die in the wretched mancel
above described. But it must be ad
mite that the author of 'The Karen
vas cooped and Grugged to death By
political toughs, who used the hapless
poet as a repeater at a local election
Others have vaguely stated this before
and ;he detailed account now given by
one who vas with Poe at the time con
firms the horrible story.
!