The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-01-31

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In striking contrast were the first and
last burials Of Edgar A. Poe. On that
dreAry autumn afternoon IN 1912 wher
the most original CT American poets wa:
laid to rest among his ancestors in West
minister churchyard, IN Baltimore. only
pne carriage followed the body Of the poet
from the hospital where be died The
ceremony was scant and the attendants
Bcanter. for eight persons only were pres
emit Poe had died under a Cloud. His last
hours were passed In the charity ward OF
public hospital BE was buried In a
poplar coffin, stained In imitation Of wal
nut Is was funeral such as poor man.
with few friends and relatives, might have
had
The mystery surrounding Poe's death
has never been satisfactorily explained
The account given by DR.. John j Moran,
In his Defense Of Edgar A Poe. " is
known to be incorrect and misleading
For instance, he gives the names Of eight
persons as present az the funeral, only
two Of whom were there. They were the
Rev. w T. ID. GLENN and Henry Her
ring, both OF whom were relatives Of Poe.
The other person who attended the first
burial were T. Collins Lee, afterward
judge Of the superior court OF Baltimore
who had boen a classmate Of Poe at tbs
University OF Virginia; Nelson Poe, aft
erwsrd chief judge Of the orphans court
OF Baltimore; Edmund Smith, q well
known schoolteacher In Baltimore so
years ago, and his wife who was a first
cousin OF the poet; DR.. j. +. Snoderass.
the last editor Of the Baltimore Saturday
Visitor, tho paper from which Poe received
the 500 prize offered for the best story.
Another of DR. Moran's misstatements
II that the body of the poet was laid I'm
state In the large room in the rotunda Of
the college building adjoining the hospi
tai; that hundreds OF his friends and &C.
quaintances came to see him; that at least
80 ladies received locks OF his hair. Poo
had few friends In Baltimore-not dozen
and IL 80 ladies received locks of his
hair" they existed only in DR. Moran's
vivid imagination.
Poe was a mystery TO the world during
life, his death was mysterious, and, al
though he has been dead As years, he re.
mains a mystery still Nine lives OF the
poet have been written, but the time and
place Of his birth have been differently
mentioned by different biographers The
place Of his burial was long disputed
point; the cause Of his death and the cir
cumstances 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:
Il was an intimate associate OF Edgar
Allan Poe for years. Much that has been
said and written about his death is false
Hfa habffnal in pa1ffr..nro bo
Widow Meagher's, an oyster stand and
liquor bar down ON the wharf much fire.
quented by journalists. 1t was respecta.
bic place, where parties could enjoy
game Of cards or engage in social CONVEX
sation
Poe was sort OF pet OF the old WON.
an, and no had q favorite seat just be
hind the stand He went by the name OF
The Bard, and when parties came into
the place 10 was Bard, come up and take
"a nipP or Bard. come and take hand in
this game
Z" II was in the Widow Mesgher's little
chop that Poe's attention was called o. an
advertisement In Philadelphia newspaper
Of prize for the best original story, and
IL was there that he wrote his famous
story, The Gold Bug which carried of
the 500 prize. The Bard had been shift.
ing for several years between Baltimore,
Philadelphia and Now York. He had not
been in Baltimore for several months when
ne turned up one evening at the Widow
MeGgher's / was there when no came in
He privately told me that he had been
To Richmond and was on his way north
to get ready for his wedding 1t was the
night before an election, and about 10
o'clock four Of US, including Poe, started
up town. We had not gone half dozen
squares when we were nabbed by gang
Of men who were on the lookout for voters
to coop 1t was the practice in those
days to seize men, whether drunk or sober
lock them up until the polls were open,
then march them around 10 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
1t was part OF the game to stupefy the
prisoners with dragged liquor. Well, the
next day we were voted at 81 different
places and over and over again, IL being
as much as q mans life was worth to re.
fuse Poe was so badly druReed that after
he was carried on two or three different
rounds the leader Of the gang said that It
was no use TO vote a dead man any longer
so they showed him into . cab and sent
him TO O hospital 10 get him out of the
way.
The commonly accepted story that Poe
died from the effects Of dissipation Is all
bosh. II was nothing Of the kind He
died from lsudanum or something Of the
kind that was forced upon him In the
coups. lie was In dying condition when
be was being taken around the city The
story by Griswod OF Poe having been on
. weeks spree and being picked up on the
street IL false. / saw him showed into the
cab myself, and ho told me that he had
Just arrived In the city"
The above account OF Poe's last hours
agrees In several respects with the account
which the late Chief Justice Nelson Poe
gave to the present writer
Tho second burial Of Edgar A. Poe took
place on Nov. IL, 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
famc had Como abroad and whose genius
was a subject Of nntive pride The cere.
monies took place I'm the large hall OF the
Western Female high school, In West Fay.