Mystery man's annual visit to Poe grave

Undeterred by controversy, a mysterious
visitor paid his annual tribute at the grave of Edgar
Allan Poe early Saturday, placing three red roses and
a half-filled bottle of cognac before stealing away
into the darkness.


Nearly 150 people had gathered outside the cemetery of Westminster Presbyterian Church, but the man known as the "Poe toaster" was, as usual, able to avoid being spotted by the crowd, said Jeff Jerome, curator of the Poe House and Museum.

The tribute takes place every Jan. 19 — the
anniversary of Poe's birth.

The visitor did not leave a note, Jerome said,
electing not to respond to questions raised in the
past year about the history and authenticity of the
tribute.

Sam Porpora, a former church historian who led the
fight to preserve the cemetery, claimed last summer
that he cooked up the idea of the Poe toaster in the
1970s as a publicity stunt.

"We did it, myself and my tour guides," Porpora, a
former advertising executive, said in August. "It was
a promotional idea."

Porpora said someone else has since "become" the Poe
toaster.