Member-only story
Was Famed Author Edgar Allan Poe’s Death A Result Of Voting Fraud?
The writer’s final days were as sad as they were mysterious
Edgar Allan Poe is one of the most prolific and enduring authors in American history. His works, which consist primarily of short stories (many with a dark spin) and poetry, are still widely read. Unfortunately, the scribe died at the age of 40 in 1849 under mysterious circumstances — ironically in a way that would have made a perfect setting for one of his stories. Although there has never been an official determination as to the cause of his death, a leading theory is that he may have been accidentally killed in a voting fraud scheme.
Growing up in Boston, Poe ultimately moved for a time to Baltimore as an adult and found middling success as a writer. Although his portfolio is now widely known and appreciated, having influenced wide swaths of writers and styles, it did not make him a rich man during his life. Still, he persisted and accumulated quite a collection of work. Some of his well-known material include The Tell-Tale Heart and The Raven, which have persisted in popular culture to the present day.
The death of Poe was truly as dark and mysterious as one of his stories. He was found deliriously wandering the streets of Baltimore outside a tavern called Gunner’s Hall on…
