On September 29, 1904, a eulogy for Paul Laurence Dunbar was published in a Brooklyn newspaper, even though he was still alive.
Please allow me space for a word in eulogy of our poet, Paul Laurence Dunbar, now slowly dying at his home in Dayton, Ohio, like the swan, which sings its sweetest song when dying. Oh, autumn winds, touch gently the fading cheeks of our bard. Pray the peace which passeth understanding might be his now in these his moments of reflection. Paul Laurence Dunbar took the time to listen to the rippling of the rills, the murmur of the brooks, the songs of the birds. As we turn our eyes toward that Dayton home, we breathe a prayer for parent and wife, and wish that we could call him back to life and usefulness.
"Tribute to Paul L. Dunbar," by Jack Thorne. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (New York, New York). September 29, 1904. Page 19.
Two weeks later, a more optimistic account of Paul's health was published by Lida Keck Wiggins, an Ohio writer who visited the Dunbar home.
Had Paul Laurence Dunbar ever entertained a doubt as to his popularity, or as to his rank among the foremost authors of America, his mind must have been set completely at rest during the past few days. A report to the effect that Mr. Dunbar was dying gained footing and a wide publication in the papers within the past fortnight. Immediately upon the appearance of the startling news, Mr. Dunbar's mail began to be filled with letters from all parts of the country, expressing profound sorrow and deepest sympathy. Every hour of the day his telephone bell sent out its peal of alarm, and very frequently the summons was answered by the poet himself, who is enjoying better health than he has known for several months. True it is that Paul Laurence Dunbar is an invalid, but such a statement might have been made of him 10 years ago, and he is better now than he has been for many, many days. Speaking of his reported physical condition, Mr. Dunbar smilingly said: "I look upon the affair as a huge joke, and while it is not particularly pleasant to have such a doom reported to be hanging over my head, still I have never received so much attention before."
"Dunbar is Not Dying," by Lida Keck Wiggins. St. Joseph News and Press (St. Joseph, Missouri). October 14, 1904. Page 9.
Conflicting reports about Paul's health continued to appear in the press that fall. On the same day the article by Wiggins was published in Missouri, a Seattle newspaper again sounded Paul's death knell. And another visitor to the Dunbar home painted a bleak picture of his condition.
Paul Laurence Dunbar is improving rapidly and expects to be out in a few days. The report of his illness was exaggerated.
"Dunbar Not So Ill." The Cleveland Gazette (Cleveland, Ohio). October 8, 1904. Page 1.
Consumption is taking his life. Dunbar may live on for months, but death may come to him soon.
"Afro-Americanism." Seattle Republican (Seattle, Washington). October 14, 1904. Page 8.
Hounded by the fear that death will overtake him, Paul Laurence Dunbar, whom consumption has marked for the grave, lies at his home in Dayton, Ohio, nursing his little remaining strength so that he may dictate bit by bit daily to his stenographer the remaining part of his last work. Dunbar's physicians talk of Arizona as his last hope for life. A climate more agreeable to his present physical condition, and that soon, is the only remedy, they say, that might check the ravages of the malady which is consuming him. A visitor at the Dunbar home a few days ago found the author, propped up by pillows, seated in a large easy chair in such a position that he could look out of the window. Mr. Dunbar is thin of body and pallid of complexion. Suffering is depicted in his face, yet he tries to maintain a cheerful aspect, and never was an invalid more patient and less complaining. "I feel much better; I am going to get well," he reiterates. His doctors shake their heads.
"To Finish His Drama Dunbar's Only Ambition." The Sun (New York, New York). October 16, 1904. Page 18.
Weeks later, a Washington newspaper reported definitively, and wrongly, that Paul was dead. He continued to live until February 1906.
Paul Laurence Dunbar, the negro poet, is dead.
"The News of the City." The Washington Bee (Washington, D. C.). November 12, 1904. Page 5.