'Poe Toaster' fails to show at grave

BALTIMORE, Jan. 19 (UPI) -- An unknown person who has been leaving cognac at Edgar Allen Poe's original Baltimore grave site for decades failed to show up this year, a curator said.

Jeff Jerome, curator of the Edgar Allan Poe House, said the unknown "Poe Toaster" has been leaving roses and a bottle of cognac at the poet and author's original grave site on his Jan. 19 birthday every year since 1949, but a crowd of about 30 spectators was disappointed when the mystery man did not show up at his usual time, between midnight and 5:30 a.m., The Baltimore Sun reported Tuesday.

"I've been doing this since 1977, and there was no indication he wasn't going to show up," Jerome said.

"People are really fascinated and people were very disappointed, but there was no anger," he said. "Everyone was very sad, but there was still a feeling of goodwill. We were there, and we paid our respects to Edgar."

Jerome said there are a number of theories about why the "Poe Toaster" didn't make it out this year, including speculation of illness or car trouble. He said it is also possible the man decided to end his tradition in 2009, the bicentennial of Poe's birthday.