Midnight Dreary: The Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe

While traveling alone from Richmond Virginia to New York City Poe disappeared for nearly a week. When seen again he was terribly drunk and nearly dead in Baltimore. In the hospital four days later after periods of raving delirium he died. The immediate cause of death given was congestion of the brain. At first no one seriously doubted that Poe died from drunken debauchery. However Poe adherents suggested many theories of a physical nature about precipitating causes but no one has seroiusly probed the mystery of the missing week . . . until now.