Poe was very handsome.
Posted on 01/19/2005 5:52:04 AM PST by presidio9
BALTIMORE - The mystery man was dressed for the cold rather than tradition, and some spectators were not quite as respectful as in years past. But for the 56th year, a man stole into a locked graveyard early on Edgar Allan Poe's birthday and placed three roses and a half-empty bottle of cognac on the writer's grave.
Jeff Jerome, curator of the Poe House and Museum, who has seen the mysterious visitor every Jan. 19 since 1976, gathered with about 20 people Tuesday night to glimpse the ritual.
"It was absolutely frigid," Jerome said of the sub-20 degree temperature.
No one, not even Jerome, knows the identity of the so-called "Poe Toaster." The visit was first documented in 1949, a century after Poe's death.
This year, the visitor arrived at 1:10 a.m. in a heavy coat and obscured his face with a black pullover, Jerome said. He was not wearing the traditional white scarf and black hat.
"He put the roses and cognac at the base of Poe's grave and put his hand on top of the (tomb) stone. He paused and put his head down," the museum curator said. He left after about five minutes, Jerome said.
The visitor's three roses are believed to honor Poe, his mother-in-law and his wife, all of whom are buried in the graveyard. The significance of the cognac is unknown.
People who stand vigil usually respect the visitor's desire for anonymity, which, along with the visitor's quick moves and the cover of darkness, have kept his secret well.
But this time, some spectators "created a nuisance," Jerome said. Some entered the locked cemetery; others confronted Jerome after the stranger had departed and demanded that he reveal his identity.
For decades, a frail figure made the visit to Poe's grave. But in 1993 the original visitor left a cryptic note saying, "The torch will be passed." A later note said the man, who apparently died in 1998, had passed the tradition on to his sons.
Poe, who wrote poems and horror stories such as "The Raven" and "The Telltale Heart," died Oct. 7, 1849 in Baltimore at the age of 40 after collapsing in a tavern.
Bethany Dinger, 32, first became fascinated with the writer while doing volunteer work at the Poe House in high school. Wednesday was her third time watching the ritual.
"It's always amazing — you know it's going to happen and then it's just wow, he's here," she said. "We're just so in the moment — there's no talking" while the visitor pays homage.
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Holy Sam Donaldson, Batman, did any of them shout out questions as the stranger departed? The "spectators" had to be reporters - no one else we know acts like that!
Unfortunately in this day and age of 'stand in the window on your cellphone and wave at the camera on the morning shows' someone will take it upon themself to ruin this tradition. From the article it appears inevitable.
Interesting. I had never heard of this before.
"It was absolutely frigid," Jerome said of the sub-20 degree temperature."
Then there is this:
"The significance of the cognac is unknown. "
Well, duh!
And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
Of my darling- my darling- my life and my bride,
In the sepulchre there by the sea,
In her tomb by the sounding sea.
It seems his fan has copied his M.O.
I love it!
There should be a bit of mystery and wonder in all our lives.
Edgar Allan Poe is a mystery himself.
A theme of objection to then oncoming age of Romanticism runs through all his stories as he emphasized the dark side of human emotions.
His 'Fall of the House of Usher' makes this quite clear as he mourned the passage of the Age of Reason in a poem recited within the tale.
I can't help but wonder if his early death might not have been partly due to the frustration of trying to warn those who lead us into the Romantic Age, leaving reason in a purely secondary role to romantic emotionalism.
Whatever the case, Poe was a man too aware of the follys of his own time.
I vividly remember reading the Telltale Heart and it still makes my hair stand on end.
I fear you are correct.
OK Bob, is it you?
The article goes on to say:
This new visitor appeared to be a bit heavier than his predecessor, outweighing him by an estimated 200 to 250 pounds. After several failed attempts, the "Poe Toaster" finally pulled himself over the fence and crashed to the ground on the other side. Several spectators reported hearing curses emanating from the visitor, the least of which were "dammit!" and "son of a BITCH!"
The Toaster then climbed to his feet and staggered to Poe's grave, where he dropped the roses and the cognac as if he were glad to be rid of the burden. He then spent several minutes bowed over the grave, his hand on the tombstone, trying to catch his breath.
Rested, the Toaster once again made the arduous journey back to the fence where he paused for a moment, looking up at the barrier as if it were Everest. The visitor eventually said "hell with it" and left through the gate.
Poe was very handsome.
I would have guessed Twain, but I guess short stories are easier to read.
Poe was very handsome.
Poe in tavern (circa 1849): "Charlie, 150 years from now, under the banner of my most famous poem, scores of gigantic men, mostly Black, will bash and thrash other gigantic men right here in Baltimore on Sundays every fall. They will do this before screaming crowds in a colossal arena and will be very highly paid."
Charlie the Bartender: "Yeah, me too."
The stories I've heard about the "visitor" was that he was a Eng. Lit. professor, so those "sons" are probably references to college Eng. Lit. majors who took over after he died.
The story about the half empty cognac bottle is the cognac that's left over after all of the college Eng. Lit. types in the Poe Society have drunk their toasts to Poe.
Whether those stories are true or not doesn't matter as much as the tradition was passed on, and is still being observed.
Now that was WAY too funny, -if you just made that up, you need to get a writing gig ;>
The LEAGUE plays here!
Off topic, but... I love your tagline. :)
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