Connexions (sic) to Poe’s Life

1.      The inheritance Poe never received and the treasure in The Beale Papers are both valued (by Poe!) at $750,000.

2.      Poe, Morriss and the anonymous Beale author all experienced a fall from wealth.

3.      Poe attended church services with Chief Justice Marshall.  Clay and Coles were prominent citizens of Richmond who may have been in John Allan’s social circle.

4.      Poe and Morriss were associated with the tobacco trade.

5.      John Allan life chronology is model for Robert Morriss history.  Morriss born 1778, Allan born 1780.  Both married in 1803.  Both almost ruined by down turn in tobacco market in 1819. Both host social elite including Chief Justice Marshall, who gave citizenship oath to Allan. Etc.

6.      Poe and Morriss had the ideal wife, beautiful, supportive, cheerful etc.

7.      Poe similar in appearance to Beale: long, dark hair, dark complexion, athletic 

8.      Poe, Morriss, Beale and Beale party all Virginians, well educated, good manners, noble. 

9.      Poe visited Lynchburg enroute to White Sulpher Springs with father and grandfather in his youth. 

10.  Cryptography 

Connexions to Poe’s Writing Style

1.      Poe’s initials found twice in The Beale Papers title. 

2.      It was…myself both favored by Poe. 

3.      Poe almost always (90%) chose inexact measurements, dimensions, etc., i.e. a week or ten day, twenty or thirty men, eight hours or more. 

4.      Poe frequently used conjunction, i.e., long and narrow, poor but worthy, to describe action or characters in his short stories. 

5.      Spelling, i.e., “connexion” in The Beale Papers ties to Poe preferences. 

6.      Unknown narrator favorite Poe device. 

7.      Poe characters frequently experience a fall from wealth, i.e., Dupin, LeGrand, etc.  Both Morriss and anonymous author experienced a fall from wealth. 

8.       Gold Bug plot, movement of action and some word choices very similar to The Beale Papers story. 

9.      Similarities between the Journal of Julius Rodman and The Beale Papers noteworthy. 

10.  Poe frequently placed French quotes in his stories. 

11.  Poe was the greatest literary hoaxer.  The Beale Papers may be the greatest literary hoax.