Clockwork Game: The Illustrious Career of a Chess-Playing Automaton

George Allen described Maelzel’s grim return to Philadelphia like this:

When Maelzel came on board, with the other passengers, Capt. Nobre was struck by the remarkable change, which had taken place in his appearance, since he had seen him with Schlumberger only three months before, in April. At that time not the slightest sign of wearing disease or natural decay could be seen: he was as stout and florid, as active and as lively, as he had been twelve years before, when he landed at New York, still a young man at the age of fifty-three. But now it was evident that he was “breaking up”—that all the powers of mind and body were rapidly sinking, as though the source from which they had derived their strength had been suddenly withdrawn.