Joseph Walker will have remembered that October 3, 1849 for a long time. The man, who works as a printer for a local newspaper, is traveling around his hometown of Baltimore when he comes across a man in apparent distress. The man is said to have been on the street or in a tavern, the sources do not agree on this. In any case, he seems completely disoriented and confused, he may be drunk and needs “immediate help”, as Walker will write to a doctor a short time later. The man doesn’t make the best impression on the outside either: his clothes are shabby and dirty, and they don’t seem to fit him very well. “One of the usual alcoholics,” passers-by will have thought – and ignore him. Walker, on the other hand, wants to help, he comes closer and asks the sufferer’s name. He can hardly be approached, but in the end he manages to give information. It couldn’t have been more astonishing, as the interviewee turns out to be none other than Edgar Allan Poe, poet and creator of dreamy and fantastic horror stories.
American Literature: How Did Edgar Allan Poe Die? – Company
