The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1884-06-18
RECALLING A MYSTERIOUS
MURDER.
A Story Which Gave Edgar A. Poe a
PIOt--The Killing of Mary Rogers


PIOt--The Killing of Mary Rogers.
The suit of Mrs. Mary Maud Carr
Watson to test the legality of the will
of millionaire John Anderson, who died
in Paris a few days ago, recalls one of
the most mysterious crimes in the crimi-
nal annals of New York city. Anderson
was a wealthy tobacco manufacturer,
and left real estate and personal property
valued at about $10,OOO,O00 He left the
greater part to his son, John Charles
Anderson. The contestant claims that
the will is fraudulent and invalid, alleg-
ing that Anderson was insane when he
made it, and was unduly influenced by
his son and Kate Anderson, his second
wife. The contestant is the granddaugh-
ter of ex-Judge Barnard. who was i'm
peached and removed from theNew York
Supreme Bench. The case will be heard
by Surrogate Coffin, at White Plains,
next week. Though the mysterious af-
fair occurred forty years ago, it is not
forgotten The popularity of the crime,
successful defeat of detectives at every
point by unknown but powerful persons,
invested the case with additional mys-
terry, and it was not only the sensation of
the day, but was talked about for several
years. The offer of rewards, aggrega-
ting $4,000, availing nothing.
Mr.. Anderson had an office and to-
bacco warehouse in Nassau street, New
York, in 1874. Mary Cecilia Rogers, a
beautiful girl seventeen years, the only
daughter Of a mother in her dotage, was
employed in Anderson's family Suisse
quently she kept cigar store in the rear
Of Anderson's office. One Sunday morn
ing she left home, telling her mother that
she would spend the day with her aunt.
Payne, her lover, to whom she was be-
thrOthed, was to call for her at night, but
as it rained, he choose to let her remain
at her aunt's-sO he stated. Three DAYS
afterward the girls body was found in
the Hudson river, her wrists tied with
ropes in a sailors knot, and a strip of
cloth drawn so tightly across her throat
that it was imbedded in the flesh. The
body was taken charge of by one Crom-
melin. and hastily buried, in spite of
the remonstrance of the mother. The
newspapers cast so much suspicion on
CrOmmelin, Payne, and a young naval
officer, that the body was exhumed for
e.,
lowed, but no conviction. The mystery
has ever since remained a mystery
Edgar A. Poe, worked the tragedy in
to a Partisan romance under the title of
"The History of Marie Roget" He
transformed the cigar-girl, into pretty
fOwer-girl, and made her mother the
keeper of a boarding house, among
whose favored dodgers was LIE Blanch,
perfumer. Nassau street was the Rue
Pavee, the Hudson became the Seine: |
CrOmmelin was Beauvais, and PAYNE
Marie's lover, who committed suicide by
swallowing laudnum, was styled JACQUES
st. Eustache. Payne left note stating
that he loved Mary, and could not live
now that she was dead. He was also
suspected of being her murderer; but his
sad death removed suspicion. The ma
val officer, whose name was not men
toned, was suspected of being the one
who tied the sailors knot A rudderless
boat was found near the floating corpse.
One night the boat was stolen from the
barge office. The broken rudder was left
But no clew could ever be found of the
missing boat. So completely were all
traces concealed that the secret Of the
crime remained buried with the unfortu-
nate girl. Poe invested the horrible crime
with a glamour of romance, and depict
ed the incidents with awonderful drama
tic arelism.