Welcome back to Myths & Mischief! This is your Lovable Lord of Lore, today’s mischievous myth is the eighth installment of the tale of the death of America’s master of the macabre, Edgar Allen Poe.
This is the 8th part of a short story that gives a possible explanation of famous author Edgar Allen Poe’s demise.
As the 2 weary travelers returned to the Royster estate, they felt like they were getting closer to something and were hopeful that perhaps this time they would get some clues that would put all of the pieces together. Thompson knocked on the door using the decorative door knocker. “Here goes.” he said to Wilson as his focus turned to the door as it slowly opened.
“Ms. Royster?”
“Yes that is me, please come in.” she replied meekly.
Thompson scanned their surroundings before entering, followed by Wilson.
“We don’t mean to impose, but we have some questions for you regarding the death of Mr. Poe.”
“I understand, and I apologize for sending you away. I was in shock and didn’t know what to do. Mostly, I really didn’t want to talk with anyone.”
“We are sorry for your loss, but we have traveled a long way and we must ask you some questions. What can you tell us about the last time you saw Mr. Poe?”
“He came up to my house on the evening of the 26th of September to take leave of me. He was very sad, and complained of being quite sick… I felt so wretched about him all of that night, that I went up early the next morning to inquire after him, when, much to my regret, he had left in the boat for Baltimore.”
“He left by boat to Baltimore?”
“Yes.”
“When was the next time you had planned on seeing him?”
“The plan was for us to marry in Virginia.” she said with a sigh.
“Did he have any luggage with him?”
He always traveled with a trunk, he had it with him.”
“What was he planning on doing in Baltimore.”
“He told me he was going to meet with some friends to announce his new engagement. He said it has been a long time since he had good news to share with them.”
“In regard to him feeling sick, do you know what was ailing him?”
“I couldn’t say for sure, he was sick about a month ago, he said it was cholera, but until we last met, he had seemed to recover from that.”
“What were his symptoms?”
“He wasn’t specific, it may have just been a cold, but he was sad that he hoped to recover before he met with his friends in Baltimore.”
We are sorry to interrupt your grieving, we will be on our way. Please send word if you think of anything else that may help us figure out what happened to Mr. Poe, even if you don’t think it is very important.”
“I will, and thank you for your understanding.”
Thompson and Wilson left the manor, once outside Wilson followed Thompson as he headed for the train station.
“Shouldn’t we go to the harbor to interview people there to see if they saw anything?”
“Let’s go to the train station first, I have a feeling that Mr. Poe traveled by train, if we are to find witnesses, they would be there.”
“Didn’t Ms. Royster say that he took a boat to Baltimore?”
“I am not convinced that she was being truthful, she still seems to be burdened with a secret.”
Thompson and Wilson were successful in finding a shopkeeper that remembered seeing Poe before he departed.
“So you did see Mr. Poe head to train station?”
Yes, I am sure of it, he entered the shop in a big hurry.”
“I’m sorry, for my notes can you tell me your name?”
“My name is Arthur Fortunato. My wife, Annabel, also saw him.”
“You said he was in a hurry?”
“Yes, he came in quite distraught and asked my wife for assistance.”
“Annabel Lee!” Fortunato hailed as she approached the men.
Thompson turned his attention to Annabel, who had hastened her approach when she heard her name. “What do you recall from Mr. Poe’s visit to your shop?”
“He said he needed clothes in a hurry.” she replied.
“Did he say for what purpose?”
“He said he didn’t want to be recognized so he wanted some clothes that would make him harder to identify.”
“Did he mention who he was avoiding?”
“He did not, but he was in such a hurry that he asked me to eyeball his size and find clothes quickly.”
“Did he wear the clothes when he left?”
“Yes, he put them on in the back and wore them out the door after paying for them.”
“Can you describe the clothes?”
“He bought a shirt, a jacket, pants and some shoes.”
“Did he buy a bombazine coat with similar pants?”
“No, he bought a gray wool coat and a white cotton shirt and gray pants. They wouldn’t be mistaken as the more expensive bombazine garments, and the only ones of those that we have are black.”
Did he purchase shoes, a vest or a hat?
He did buy some shoes, but that was it. I offered to polish them for him since he was going to be wearing them, but he refused, being in such a big hurry.”
“Did he have any luggage with him?”
“Yes, he was traveling with a trunk, that is where he put the clothes he was wearing when he entered the shop.”
“Did he say where he was going?”
“Sorry, I was only told if anybody asked to deny that he was ever here. I feel comfortable talking to you about it since his passing in addition to you being with the police.”
“Is there anything else that he said or did that give you an insight to what he was dealing with?”
“He was in and out very quickly, but I did notice that he had a train ticket.”
Wilson interjected, “Please tell me you saw where he was headed.”
“It looked like it was a ticket to Richmond.”
“Thank you for your time, we are also in a bit of a hurry, you have been very helpful. Please reach out to us if you remember anything else.” Thompson said as he handed a slip of paper to Fortunato with their contact information.
“It seems like you were right about the train and that Ms. Royster is hiding something, what do you think it is?”
“Poe was scared of someone, what were the new developments in his life that would lead to a tragic outcome?”
“He had a new job and was planning on getting married in Virginia.”
“The investigation seems to be heading in that direction. It looks like we are heading for Richmond again.”
“While we are here, should we go back to the Royster estate and ask her who Poe was afraid of?”
“We will, but we need more information first so when we do confront her, she will not be able to blow us off again.”
That’s it for today’s installment, this is your Lord of the Lore signing off.
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