1. His Death Remains One Of Literature's Most-Fascinating Mysteries... With Some Scholars Claiming He Was Murdered Via "Cooping"
The cause of Poe's death is now a 166-year mystery - with no-one quite sure what exactly ended his life. Possible natural causes such as heart disease, epilepsy, syphilis, rabies and cholera have been cited - although none have been proven - as have drug ingestion and alcohol poisoning. However, the most bizarre and disturbing theory emerged in 1872, when claims that he may have been a victim of "cooping" were first suggested. This form of torture would see a person, usually old and frail, kidnapped and hidden away before being forced to vote for a particular candidate at an election - and then killed afterwards. Due to the fact that Poe had been discovered on the streets of Baltimore "in great distress and in need of immediate assistance" - while also clearly delirious and wearing clothes that weren't his own - many people believe this theory carries weight. However, it appears that the manner of Poe's death will forever remain one of literature's greatest mysteries, because there is no way of proving how his life ended.
NUFC editor for WhatCulture.com/NUFC. History graduate (University of Edinburgh) and NCTJ-trained journalist. I love sports, hopelessly following Newcastle United and Newcastle Falcons. My pastimes include watching and attending sports matches religiously, reading spy books and sampling ales.
The cause of Poe's death is now a 166-year mystery - with no-one quite sure what exactly ended his life. Possible natural causes such as heart disease, epilepsy, syphilis, rabies and cholera have been cited - although none have been proven - as have drug ingestion and alcohol poisoning. However, the most bizarre and disturbing theory emerged in 1872, when claims that he may have been a victim of "cooping" were first suggested. This form of torture would see a person, usually old and frail, kidnapped and hidden away before being forced to vote for a particular candidate at an election - and then killed afterwards. Due to the fact that Poe had been discovered on the streets of Baltimore "in great distress and in need of immediate assistance" - while also clearly delirious and wearing clothes that weren't his own - many people believe this theory carries weight. However, it appears that the manner of Poe's death will forever remain one of literature's greatest mysteries, because there is no way of proving how his life ended.