What was cooping and how might it explain Edgar Allan Poe’s final days?

The theory that Edgar Allan Poe was a victim of "cooping" is a compelling explanation for his mysterious final days in 1849.

Cooping was a form of 19th-century electoral fraud where gangs, often hired by corrupt politicians, would abduct individuals off the street. These victims were then forced to vote repeatedly for a specific candidate at various polling places—which were frequently located in taverns. To prevent detection while voting multiple times, perpetrators would often force victims to wear disguises, beat them into submission, or ply them with alcohol to ensure compliance.1

This theory is frequently cited because Poe was discovered in a Baltimore tavern that was serving as a polling place, in a state of delirium and wearing cheap, ill-fitting clothes that were not his own. Proponents of this theory suggest that the strange attire may have been a disguise forced upon him by his captors. While other theories—such as alcoholism, rabies, or various diseases—remain popular among historians, the "cooping" hypothesis offers a plausible explanation for the bizarre circumstances surrounding his final appearance.1