Poe Toaster

The shadowy figure, dressed in black with a wide-brimmed hat and white scarf, would pour himself a glass of cognac (or cherry brandy,[1] amontillado,[2] or scotch whisky[3]) and raise a toast to Poe's memory, then vanish into the night, leaving three roses in a distinctive arrangement and the unfinished bottle of liquor.

Onlookers gathered annually in hopes of glimpsing the elusive Toaster, who did not seek publicity and was rarely seen or photographed.

[8] Edgar Allan Poe, an American author, died in Baltimore, Maryland, on October 7, 1849, under mysterious circumstances.

Each year, in the early hours of the morning of January 19 (Poe's birthday), a black-clad figure carrying a silver-tipped cane, his face obscured by a scarf or hood, entered the Westminster Hall and Burying Ground in Baltimore.

Never before had the Toaster commented on sports or other current events, nor could anyone explain the negative reference to Baltimore's football team, whose nickname was inspired by Poe's poem "The Raven".

Aside from that incident, spectators never interfered with the Toaster's entry, tribute ritual or departure, nor was any concerted effort made to identify the individual.

[20] Jeff Savoye of the Edgar Allan Poe Society also questioned Porpora's claims, but admitted he could not definitively disprove them.

[25] The faux Toasters' appearance sparked controversy: While some preferred that the tradition die a "dignified death", others urged that it be carried on, by imitators if necessary.

"[28] In 2015, the Maryland Historical Society organized a competition to select a new individual to resurrect the annual tribute in a modified, tourism-friendly form.

The new Toaster—who will also remain anonymous—made his first appearance during the daylight hours of January 16, 2016 (a Saturday, three days before Poe's birthday), wearing the traditional garb and playing Saint-Saëns' Danse macabre on a violin.

After raising the traditional cognac toast and placing the roses, he intoned, "Cineri gloria sera venit" ("Glory paid to one's ashes comes too late", from an epigram by the Roman poet Martial) and departed.

The 2001 novel, In a Strange City, by Baltimore crime fiction novelist Laura Lippman features two Poe Toasters.