Lacking a fervent patriotism or any other sort of noble yet manic ideas, for Deane, it was enough to retain his individual dignity, and it was this dread of being labeled a traitor after his anti-Independence letters were uncovered, that instigated his self-exile to Flanders, where his life took a turn for the worse. Two years later, however, he moved to England, where he came into the company of his old friend Edward Bancroft. After seven years of financial dependence and immersion in an insalubrious lifestyle, Deane decided to go back to America, and reserved the voyage on which he would meet his death. While on the ship, Deane had complained of "A dizziness in his head, and an oppression at his stomach," after which he was put to bed, where, after several agonizing hours, he passed away. This, morbidly enough, is where the enigma of Deane begins to branch out into several possibilities. One explanation that proved to be popular around the American Revolutionaries was that Deane had committed suicide by way of poison, only this option has several central defects that are fully recognized when one takes the time to isolate every factor for Deane's motivation to do away with himself, and to what extent the external circumstances would permit this to occur. Another cause for Deane's death, although unexamined by the founding fathers, was murder. An intense scrutiny of the details surrounding Deane's decease (if one were to assume they are all legitimate) would unquestioningly point to his homicide, committed by his friend of many years, the aforementioned Bancroft. .
Yet how does one arrive at the conclusion that Deane was indeed murdered? The historian's job here takes on the appearance of that of a detective, the only difference being the urgency with which to solve the mystery and the number of people who care about the outcome. To find out the facts, one must first transcend the commonly held truth, for, as Northrop Frye said, "Truth is that which confirms what we already believe.
