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Ambrose Bierce’s life was filled with bitterness--or what some would call harsh realism. But the most profound
image in his life is the mystery that surrounds his death. Many people have formulated dozens of possible scenarios. Some
have outlandish endings that leave you even more confused that when you started. One of my personal favorites is the idea
proposed by paranormal investigator Charles Fort. Relating Bierce’s disappearance to another man’s by the name
of Ambrose Small, he reasoned that it was not chance, but by “evil supernatural forces” that were attempting to
“collect Ambroses” (ABAS). Another more believable explanation places Bierce at the Grand Canyon where he
commits suicide after visiting his former Civil War battlegrounds. One other possibility puts Hearst behind Bierce’s
death. It was known that Bierce loathed his employer, and wrote quite a nasty critique concerning him (Willeford, par.
6). But the most known and believed hypothesis tells us that Bierce wandered off into Mexico to find more war and a better
death than “old age, disease, or falling down the cellar stairs” (Willeford, par. 24). The theory
of Mexico is supported by the last letters received by Bierce’s relatives. But others still argue that they were merely
a deterrent. With this said, it is probably a mystery no one will ever fully decode.
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This marker is located in Mexico, but the exact place and time of Bierce's death are still not
known. Translated, it says:
"Very trustworthy witnesses suppose that here lie the remains of Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce, a famous American
writer and journalist who was executed and buried at this place."
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