The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1899-11-24
POE POISONED.
Startling Story Of How the Poet Came
to His Death.

A startling story has come to light
anent the recent commemoration OF the
fiftieth anniversary of the death OF Ed
gar Allan Poe. A former Baltimorean,
recently living in San Francisco, gives
what he claims to be true account OF
the poets last days. This is the story:
81 was an intimate associate OF Ed
gar Allan Poe for many years. Much
that has been said and written regard
ing his death is false. His habitual
resort in Baltimore was the Widow
Meagher's place. This was an oyster
stand and liquid bar on the city front,
corresponding in some respects with
the coffee houses in San Francisco. 1t
was frequented much by printers and
ranked as a respectable place, where
parties would enjoy a game of cards
or engage in a social conversation.
Poe was a great favorite with the old
woman. His favorlte seat was just
behind the stand. and about as quiet
and sociable as an oyster himself. He
went by the name Of Baird, and when
parties came into the shop it was
Bard, come up and take a nip or
Bard come up and take hand in this
game
whenever the Widow Meagher met
with any accident or idea that tickled
her fancy, she would ask the Bard to
versify it. Poe always complied, writ
ing many witty couplet. and at times
poems of some length. 1t was in this
little saloon that Poe's attention was
called to an advertisement in a Phil
adelphia paper of prize for the best
story. and it was there that he wrote
his famous Gold Bug which carried
of the hundred-dollar prize.
Poe had been shifting for several
years btween Baltimore, Philadelphia
and New York. He had been away
from Baltimore for three or four
months, when he turned up one even
ing at the Widow Meagher's. I was
there when he came in. He privately
told me that he had been in Richmond.
and was on his way north to get ready
for his wedding. Tt was drinking all
around. and repeated until the crowd
was pretty jolly. IL was the night be.
fore election. and four of us, including
Poe. started uptown. We had not
gone half dozen squares when we
were nabbed by a gang of men who
were on the lookout for voters to
coop.
1T was the practice in those days
to seize people whether drunk or
sober, lock them up until the polls
were opened. and 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 on Covert street 1t was part
of the game to Supply the prisoners
with drugged liquor. Well the next
day we were voted at thirty.one diff.
ferent places, and over and over. it be.
ing as much as a mans life was worth
to rebel. Poe was so badly drugged
that after he was carried on two or
three different rounds the gang said it
was no use to vote a dead man any
longer. so they showed him into a cab
and sent him into a hospital to get
him ont of the way
The commonly accepted story that
Poe died from dissipation is bosh. He
died from laudanum or some other
poison that was forced upon him in
the coop. He was in a dying condition
when he was being voted around the
city. The story by Griswold of Poe's
having been on 4 weeks spree, and of
being picked up on the street. is false.
saw him showed into the cab myself.
and he told me he had just arrived in
the city"
The foregoing agrees in several re.
spects with the account given by the
late Chief Justice Nelson Poe, of Bal
timore. Baltimore Cor. ST. Louis
PostDeSpatch.