Solved: The mystery of the 'Poe toaster'

[snopes]

The legend was almost too good to be true.

For decades, a mysterious figure dressed in black, his features cloaked by a wide-brimmed hat and scarf, crept into a Baltimore churchyard to lay three roses and a bottle of cognac at the grave of Edgar Allan Poe.

Now, a man in his 90s who led the fight to preserve the historic site says the visitor was his creation.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servl...Entertainment/

[AliBaba]

My issue is with the author of the piece linked, not snopes for posting it. But this issue doesn't appear to be "solved" at all; Porpora makes a claim that he originated/made up Poe's graveyard visitor sometime in the 70's, but this would seem to be strongly contested.

According to the article, one guy seems to have found an article about the graveyard visitor dating 20 years prior to when Porpora claims to have started it.

Long way from solved, if you ask me. Not that anyone did.

Ali "Raven lunatic" Baba

[Simply Madeline]

I thought this thread was going to be about a toaster whose popping mimics the beating of a human heart.

Originally Posted by Simply Madeline

I thought this thread was going to be about a toaster whose popping mimics the beating of a human heart.

And I thought this was going to be similar to the Amityville Toaster.


-Fox

[Xia]

Originally Posted by Simply Madeline

I thought this thread was going to be about a toaster whose popping mimics the beating of a human heart.

"It is the beating of that hideous toaster!"
Doesn't quite have the same ring to it, does it?

I thought the thread was going to be about a toaster that mysteriously makes toast with images of Edgar Allen Poe on it.

[Namowal]

Originally Posted by Xia

"It is the beating of that hideous toaster!"
Doesn't quite have the same ring to it, does it?

I thought the thread was going to be about a toaster that mysteriously makes toast with images of Edgar Allen Poe on it.

How about the Tell-Tale Pop Tart?

[TrishDaDish]

I thought it would be like that site about the coffee pot that has voices, except it's about a toaster with Poe reciting his stories. Maybe even a weird, four slices toaster! Now, that's creepy!

[ganzfeld]

Originally Posted by AliBaba

My issue is with the author of the piece linked, not snopes for posting it. But this issue doesn't appear to be "solved" at all; Porpora makes a claim that he originated/made up Poe's graveyard visitor sometime in the 70's, but this would seem to be strongly contested.

Yes, it is contested. But he seems to know quite a bit about how the story spread and about the area so I don't think it's unlikely he's telling a fairly large chunk of the truth. The rest could possibly be explained by previous visits by others or by stories that turn out to be not quite the same when further examined. I think his "revelations" do make it look much less likely that there was a single visitor who visited for four decades.

[Ana Ng]

This is the only mystery I can think of where I don't want to know the real answer. I like it being a mystery.

[Magdalene]

Originally Posted by Ana Ng

This is the only mystery I can think of where I don't want to know the real answer. I like it being a mystery.

I'm with you on this one. I always got a delicious little shiver on the back of my neck reading about the mysterious toaster. I don't wanna know.

Magdalene