The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1884-07-23
A BEAUTIFUL CIGAR GIRL.
RECALLING A MYSTERIOUS MURDER.
A story which Gave Edgar A. Poo II Plot
Tho KiIliDg OF Mary Rogers.
From the N. Y. Tribune.l

From the N. Y. Tribune.l
The suit of Mrs. Mary Maud Carr
Watson to test the legality OF the will of
millionaire John Anderson, who died in
Paris few years ago, recalls one Of the
most mysterious murders in the crimi-
nal annals of New York city. Anderson
was wealthy tobacco manufacturer,
and left real estate and personal prop
erty valued at about Sl0,000,000. He
left the greater part to his son, John
Charles Anderson. The contestant
claims that the will is fraudulent and in
valid, alleging that Anderson was in
sane when he made it, and was unduly
influenced by his son and Kate Ander-
son, his second wife. The contestant is
the granddaughter of ex-Judge Barnard.
Though the mysterious affair occurred
forty years ago, 1t is not forgotten. The
popularity OF the crime, the apparent
absence of motive, its brutality and
fiendishness, the absence of clews and
the successful defeat of detectives at
every point by unknown but powerful
persons, invested the case with addition
al mystery, and it was not only the SEN
sation of the day, but was talked about
for several years. The offer OF rewards,
aggregating $40, 1000, ayailed nothing.
MIR. Anderson had an Office and tobac-
co warehouse in Nassau street in 1874.
Mary Cecilia Rogers, n beautiful girl Of
seventeen years, the only daughter of
mother in her dotage, was employed in
Andersons family. Subsequently she
kept cigar store in the rear of Ander-
sons Office. One Sunday morning she
left home, telling her mother that she
would spend the day with her aunt at
Weehawken. Payne, her lover, to
whom she was betrothcd, was to call
for her at night, but as it rained he
chose to let her remain Mt her aunt's-
so he stated. Three days afierward the
girls body was found in the Hudson
River, her wrists tied with ropes in a
sailors knot, and strip of cloth drawn
so tightly across her throat that it was
imbedded in the flesh. The body was
taken charge of by one Crommelin, and
hastily buried, in spite of the remon-
strances of the mother. The newspapers
cast 30 much suspicion on Crommelin,
Payne and young naval officer that
the body was exhumed for further evil
dence. Several arrests followed, but no
conviction. The mystery has ever since
remained mystery.
Edgar A. Poe worked the tragedy
into Partisan romance under the title
of "The History of Marie Roget" He
transformed the cigar girl into q pretty
flower girl, and made her mother thu
keeper of boarding-house, among
whose favored dodgers was M, lie Blanc
perfumer. Nassau street was the Ru
Pavee, the Hudson became the Seine
Crommelin was Beauvris and Payn
Maries lover, who committed suicide b.
swallowing laudanum, was style'
Jacques st. Eustacho.
Payne left note stating that h'
loved Mary, and could not live now tina
she was dead. He was also suspected o
being her murderer but his sad dealt
removed suspicion. The naval officer
whose name was not mentioned, wa
suspected of being the one who tied tn
sailors knot. A rudderless boat wa
: found near the floating corpse. On
: night the boat was stolen from tn
barge Office the broken rudder was left
, But no clew could ever be found OF tn
a missing boat. SO completely were a
traces concealed that the secret OF til
@ crime remained buried with the unfo
n tunate girl. Poe invested the horrib
= crime with gamor Of romance, and d
picted the incidents with wonderf
dramatic realism.