The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-05-14
GHOST Of A MISSING GIRL.
Pretty Mary Rogers, Murdered
Foully, Haunts John Anderson
to His Death.
People Who Have Been Lost
to Earth Nor Seen
Again.
Conant, and Other Cases of Myste-
rious Disappearance.


Conant, and Other Cases of bIyste-
rious Disappearance.
Mysterious disappearance always excite
the deepest interest, and the Terre Haute
mystery reyives and justifies recall of the
most noteworthy ones of history, says the
Cincinnati Enquirer. One of the most re-
markable cases that ever happened was that
Of Mary Rogers, the pretty cigar girl OF
New York. When few years since in New
York there was contest over the will OF
millionaire tobacco manufacturer John An
derssn, then interest in the unsolved mys-
terry was revived. It has never been solved.
Upon the story Edgar Allen Poe wrote his
celebrated The Mystery of Marie Roget.
The unfortunate girl was employed by John
Anderson in the days when ne
kept little tobacco shop in Broad
way. and in the last days Of millionaire
the delusion that he was constantly in com
munication with the spirit of the. girl. At
the time of her disappearance and murder
suspicion attached to many prominent peo-
Pile, among them Mr.. Anderson. In the
days when Edgar Allen Poe was young
boarding house in Nassau street. Mary's
father had long been dead and Mrs. Rogers
ONLY fortune was her tact and ability to
make both ends meet. Mary had beauty
of form and feature that made her well
known in the city, and when John Ander-
store bis sales naturally increased. It was
considered the proper thing for all young
men of fashion to buy their cigars and
tobacco from and be on friendly terms with
the pretty Mary. There was no breath
of suspicion against her character.
There were wild grief and surprise when
one day she disappeared from behind the
counter. Conjectures were INDUCED in,
but when in short time she reappeared,
and in answer to questions az to her alb
sence replied that she had been on visit to
an aunt in the country. nothing was thought
of it. The young bloods with ruff1ed shirt
fronts and broad collars continued to chat
ness and preocoupation had taken posses
sion of her since her visit to the country
aunt.
One Sunday she left her mothers house,
saying she was going to visit friend in
another part Of the city. There was g
with her mother and who was Mary's ac-
cepted sutton, and when she went out she
told him to call for her at her friends
house in the evening. 1t rained that night
and he did not CO. supposing MARY would
remain all night with the friend. The aged
mother had presentiment of apr reaching
evil. and said:
81 fear shall never see Mary again."
She never did. The next day Mary did
not return, and on inquiry it was learned
that she had not been at her friends house.
All trace of her was lost until four days
later her body was found floating in the
Hudson river near Weehawken. The marks
ho hOH1, ohoxuo1 TINT aha had hoQYl r
dered. A great sensation was caused and
the detectives followed up every clue. In q
thicket on the Jersey shore the purse, para
sol and gloves of the murdered girl were
found. On close inspection it was evident
that they had been placed there.
Before this time there had been mysteri-
Gus boats seen on the Hudson. One of
them was manned by roughs, who commit
ted all sorts of depredations. Anonymous
letters poured into the daily papers pointing
to these gangs as the cause of the tragedy.
1t was discovered that Mary had been in
dark beard, and that she had been seen
with young naval officer after she had
left her mothers house. A rudderless boat
was picked up near where the body was
found. The young naval officer accounted
for his whereabouts from the time Mary
disappeared until her body was found, and
the mystery of her death became deeper
than ever. For a long time detectives
worked on the case, and the mystery would
have shared the fate OF thousands of others
of a great city had not Poe written his
story of "Marie Roget" The mystery was
declining years of the millionaire An
derson's life.
On the afternoon of February II, 1885,
Lieutenant E. w. Remey of United States
navy, executive officer of the training shir
Portsmouth, arrived in New York on the
Old Dominion steamship Roanoke. A num-
Der of friends saw him walk down the gang
plank at pier 50, North river, carrying i
small handbag in his hand. He was never
seen by them or anyone again.
Advertisements were placed in the news
papers asking information of him dead O.
alive. Circulars were thrown broadcas
over the country, clews followed out witt
the utmost persistency, effort and none,
spent for six long months; yet to-day Lieu
tenant Remey remains utterly beyond tn
pale of human apprehension AZ though h.
had been swallowed mp in the earth. Char
lie Ross has been an insoluble problem thai
has never lost its entire hold on public curl
osity.
One evening in 1887 Richard G. Brandeis
notable physician of New York, with
family to whom he WAS devoted, a fin
physique and in prosperous circumstances
left his home at 81 West Thirty-third stree
to deliver his customary lectures in tn
was the last ever seen of him. All tn
searching of detectives, the flooding tn
country with photographs of the missing
man failed to reveal any token OF hi
whereabouts. AT his home they are still
waiting in vain expectation of his return.
The country was secured high and low il
search OF Stillman S. ConRnt, the editor o
Harper's Weekly. who went out one nigh
and never has been seen or heard OF since
Many false trails were explored, fruitles
searches of dead bodies instituted, but h,
has vanished completely IS though spirited
away by supernatural powers.
Boss Flortington was sporting butcher
who lived in New York, was well-know,
man about town. and had great man,
friends. He drank with a party of then
one evening, saying it was time to 60 home
He has never since come to the surface o
humanity.
A still more mysterious case was that Q
Chancellor John Lansing, who got into
cab to 60 on an Albany boat one after
noon. He was never seen or heard of aftel
ward.
The case of poor Mary Evans, who wen
out shopping with her mother, and q
Macy's on Broadway, left her mother
side to look at ribbon or something, an
was lost forever, is another Disappearance
unaccounted for.
The beautiful young wOman,s head tha
was found i'll the North river in 1850 WI
kept by authority of law for two years, an
death mask was taken of it before I'd
Gays efacing fingers had swept the lin,
where beauty fingers" It was falsel
identified sayeral timea and WAS said to h