On Oct. 7, 1849, Edgar Allan Poe died mysteriously. While many speculate about his untimely death, my belief is that he was suffering from a fever borne from some kind of illness, most likely cholera, and died as a result. The most believable evidence comes from Poe himself, in a letter to his mother-in-law, Maria Clemm, Poe told Maria that he had contracted cholera weeks before he arrived in Richmond and had a manic episode. In addition, Elmira Royster Shelton, Poe’s fiancee, wrote to Maria that on September 26, Poe had a fever and was pale before he left Richmond for Baltimore. Finally, in another letter to Maria by Poe’s attending physician, he states that Poe arrived unconscious and was like that until early morning where he woke up in
