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This photograph shows the style
of lettering used for the inscriptions
on the base of the statue, which were molded and pressed into the
concrete
rather than carved. The quotation from "The Raven" was taken from
Griswold's
1850 edition of Poe's works and included an "s" at the end of "mortal."
The "s" is not in any printings of the poem done during Poe's lifetime.
On May 29, 1930, a self-appointed
corrector, Edmond Fontaine,
took a
chisel and removed the offending "s." He also removed some black paint,
which had been splashed on the monument by some unknown vandals. (Mr.
Fontaine
was a tree-surgeon and apparently well known in Baltimore as an
eccentric
character.) The police waited for him to complete his mission, then
arrested
him. He spent the night in jail because he could not provide the $100
collateral
required for his bail. He was released the next day into the custody of
a relative. A few days later, it was decided that he should not be
prosecuted
and he was let off with a mere warning. (As far as is known, Mr.
Fontaine
abstained from future acts of well-intentioned improvements to public
property.)
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