Poe’s Final Macabre Mystery Part X

Welcome back to Myths & Mischief! This is your Lovable Lord of Lore, today’s mischievous myth is the tenth installment of the tale of the death of America’s master of the macabre, Edgar Allen Poe. 

This is the 10th part of a short story that gives a possible explanation of famous author Edgar Allen Poe’s demise.  

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As Thompson and Wilson trudged up to the doors of the Royster estate for the third time, they both felt like they had were at the precipice of closing their case. They knocked numerous times before the occupant realized that they would not be departing without conversing.

Ms. Royster opened the door with tears in her eyes. She silently walked past the inspectors and sat on the porch swing in front of the building. Thompson and Wilson followed her and sat in adjacent chairs.

“Ms. Royster, what can you tell us about the death of your fiancé? We know your brothers were involved.”

“I love my brothers, and they are good people. They just wanted to scare Edgar. After our engagement, they went to Richmond without me knowing with the intention of dissuading Edgar from marrying me. We disagreed on the issue, but they believed all of the gossip about Edgar and believed he would squander our wealth by drinking and other less desirable actions. I tried to explain that Edgar wasn’t like that but they had their minds made. They came back here before you showed up and told me what happened but only after he was found dead. I felt like I was stuck in the middle. They swore to me that he was alive when they left him and were surprised to hear of his death. I didn’t want them to get charged with his murder, but I also want to know what did kill him. That is why I sent you away, but also tried to drop hints that there was more going on.”

“Ms. Royster, what did your brothers tell you?” asked Thompson, attempting at compassion.

“They confessed that they found Edgar, and that he had been drinking, which they believed confirmed their assumption that he was a drunk. They were angry to find him in such a state so they tied him to a chair and forced him to drink more until he passed out. Then they put him on a train to Baltimore so that when he woke up, smelling of alcohol, we would be shamed into ending our engagement.”

“So they beat him and forced him to drink a bottle of whiskey, then sent him to Baltimore.” clarified Thompson.

“They never said anything about beating him, they just said they forced him to drink.”

“Why send him to Baltimore?” asked Wilson.

“They said that people would know him there, and it was more likely that he would be exposed for being a drunkard.”

“You didn’t think they used force when they made him drink a bottle of whiskey?” asked Thompson, this time with a tone of suspicion.

“I suppose, but by the time I found out what they did, he had died. It didn’t seem reasonable that he would die days later from alcohol or a beating if he was admitted to a hospital.”

“Where are your brothers now?” asked Thompson with a less sympathetic tone.

“I don’t know, I told them to get out of my sight after they told me what they did to poor Edgar. I haven’t seen them since, but when you came to visit, I feared that they were watching me to see if I turned them in.”

“If they were in hiding, where would they go?”

“I don’t know, ordinarily I would say that they would come here. I don’t think they have been involved with anything like this before though.”

“I will be frank, if you hear from them, alert us to their location. You may still be an accessory after the fact since you were aware of their crimes and didn’t step forward. What would be even better for you is if you told them to turn themselves in until everything can be sorted out. If they are innocent of his murder, turning themselves in would be best for them too.”

“You mean unless they are found guilty for something they didn’t do? I believe they left Edgar alive because I would never had forgiven them if they killed him. Edgar and I fell in love when we were very young, before life sent us on different directions. When we met again and our relationship rekindled we had a second chance at our first love. They wouldn’t have taken that from me, even if they didn’t approve.”

“Ms. Royster, is there any other information you have been holding back on divulging to us, if you do, now would be the time to put all your cards on the table.”

“I have told you everything I know. Are you pursuing other leads outside of my brothers’ actions? They couldn’t have killed him.”

“We aren’t ruling anything out just yet, but we are closing in. We will be in touch.” said Thompson.

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That’s it for today’s installment, this is your Lord of the Lore signing off.   

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