Edgar Allan Poe died on October 7, 1849. The day he was found delirious in Baltimore — October 3, 1849 — was a significant civic occasion. The location where he was found, Ryan's Comet Saloon on Lombard Street, was functioning that day in an official capacity beyond its role as a drinking establishment. What was Ryan's Comet Saloon being used for on October 3, 1849, and why does this make it directly relevant to the most politically charged theory of Poe's death?