Connecticut western news., 1895-01-24
THE BURIALS OF POE.
CONTRAST BETWEEN THE EXERCISES
 AT THE TWO CEREMONIES.

Mystery Yelling the Death of the Poet.
 The Latest Account Given by a Man Who
 Claims tho Closest Personal Knowledge |
 Killed by a Drug. |
 In striking contrast were the first and last burinls of Edgar A. Poe On that dreary autumn afternoon in lS49. when the most original uf American poets was laid to rest among his ancestors in West | minister churchyursl. in Baltimore only one carriage followed the body of the poet from the hospital where he died The ceremony was scant, and the attendants scantcr, for eight persons only wern pres. ent. Poe hid died under cloud His last hours were passed in the charity ward of a public hospital He was buried in a poplar coffin, stained in imitation of wal nut. It was funeral such as poor man, with few friends and cclatives, might have had.
 The mystery surrounding Poe's death has rover been satisfactorily explained The account given Ly Dr. John I Moran, in his "Eofenso of Edgar A Poe" is known to he incorrect and misleading. For instance. he givrs the names of eight persons as present at the funeral, only two of whom were thcrc They were the Rev w T D Clemm and Henry Her ring, both of whom wcre relatives of Poo. The other person who attended the first burial were z Collins Leo, afterward judge of the superior court of Baltimore, who had been a claSsinate of Poe at the University of Virginia; Nelson Poe, aft erward chief judge of the orphans court of Baltimore; Edmund Smith, well known schoolteachCr in Baltimore 50 years ago, and his wife, who was first cousin of the poet. Dr. J. E Snodgrass, the last editor of the Baltimore Satur,lay Visitor tho paper rum which Poe received the SlO0 prize offend for the best story.
 Another of Dr. Mnran's misstatements is that the body of tho poet was laid in state in the large room in the rotunda of the college building adjoining the hospi- tai: that hundreds uf his friends and ac- quaintances came to see him; that at least 90 ladies received locks of his hair. Poe had few friends in Baltimore-not dozen and if "50 Indies received locks of his hair they existed only in Dr. Moran's vivid imagination
 Poe was mystery to the world during lifo, his death WIS mysterious, and, al though he has been dead 45 years, he re. mains mystery still Nine lives of the poet have been written, but the time and placc of his birth have been differently mentioned by different biographers. The place of his burial was long a disputed point; the cause of his death and the cir oumstances attending it have not yet been definitely settled.
 An old resident of San Francisco, for merly of Baltimore gives what he says is true account of Poe's last days and death. His story Is:
 Fl was an intimate associate of Edgar Allan Poe for years. Much that has been said and written abuut his death is false. His habitual resort il Baltimore was the Widow Mc2Sacr's. an oyster stand and liquor bar down on tEe wharf much ire quented by journalists. It was a respecta. ble place, wherc parties could enjoy a game of cards or engage in social conyer' sation.
 Poe was n sort of pet of the old wom. an, and he had fayorite seat just be- hind the stand. He went by the name of The Bard and when parties came into the place it was Bard, como up and take a nipl or Bard. como and take a hand in this game
 Ut was in the Widow Meagber's little shop that Poe's attention was called to an advertisement in a Philadelphia newspaper of prize for the best original story, and it was there that he wrote his famous story, The Gold Bug which carried of the S100 prize. The Bard had been shift ing for several years between Baltimore Philadelphia and New York. He had not been in Baltimore for several months when he turned up one evening at the Widow Mesgher's I was there when he came in.
 He privately told me that he had been to Richmond and was on his way north to get ready for his wedding It was tho
 lzE ulS q o'clock four of us, including Poe, started up town. We had not gone half a dozen squares when we were nabbcd by gang of men who were on the lookout for voters to coop It was tho practice in those days to seize men, whether drunk or sober, lock them up until the polls were open, then march them 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. either on North or Calvert street.
 Tt was part of the game to stupefy the prisoners with drugged liquor. We'll the next day we were voted at 3l different places and over and over again, it being as much as mans life was worth to re- fuse Poe was so badly drugged that after ho was carried on two or three different rounds the leader of the gang said that 1t t so they showed him into cab and sent him to hospital to get him out of tho way .. 5...a
 "The commonly accepted story that Poe died from tho effects of dissipation is all bosh. It was nothing of the kind. He died from laudanum or something of the kind that was forced upon him in the coupe He was in dying condition when he was being taken around the city The story by Griswold of Poe having been on a weeks spree and being picked up on the street is false l saw him showed into the cab myself, and he told me that he had just arrived in tic city,
 The above account of Poe's last hours agrees in several respects with tho account which the late Chief Justice Nelson Poe gave to the present writer.
 The second hurial of Edgar A. Poe took place on Nov F, 1875. The occasion was interesting and remarkable. An immense assembly, representing the education and culture of Baltimore, was drawn together to do honor to an American poet whose fame had gone abroad and whose genius was a subject of native pride. The cere- monies took placo in tho large hall of the Western Female high school, in West Fay ette street, adjoining Westminster church, in the graveyard of which the body of the poet had rested for 26 years without stone to show that it was the grave of the most unique genius that America had aiyen to the world.-New York Herald
 A Trait Tn Common.
 stMy doar cold tbe man who h,d haen