Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1890-08-01
NEW YORK LETTER.
NEW YORK,
July 28th, 1890


DEAR RRGIsTER-New York has
been stirred to its depths during the
past week by the bringing to light OF
the circumstances of one Of the most
revolving crimes known in its history.
Nothing else is talked Of, the papers
are full OF it, the discovery OF the
crime was so purely accidental and it
has proven that such things can tabe
Mace i'm this city without the knowl-
edge of the police-all this helps to
make it one of the most sensational
cases seen for years. A brief account
of the facts of the case, as are known
vet. only can be given. Annie Good
win. a most beautiful young girl, EN-
ployed by Halls cigarette factory,
was ruined by a young man named
'sGus Harrison" belonging TO a
wealthy family living in Harlem.
Harrison was known as fast young
man about town and when Armies
parents forbid his coming to see her,
she went to live with some friends
where she was at liberty to see him.
On July end she left her room and
was never seen again by her friends.
On july 18th man overheard a con-
yersation on an elevated train, from
which he gathered the facts that
girl named Annie Goodwin had dis
appeared from her home and had an
operation performed, since which time
she had not been heard from. He
notified Detective Price of this and
from this faint clew the details OF the
that a Doctor McGonigal, of Harlem,
NJ
such cases and was most likely to
attract attention. He is an old. tot
tering, white-haired man, but no one
more richly deserves the gallows than
he does. Annie Goodwin, after hav-
ing tried to be taken in at several
institutions, went to clearinghouse
and had Dr. McGonigal called in. The
landlady seeing something was wrong
made them leave her house, and the
old Doctor had her taken to den
kept by notorious Mrs. Shaw, where
he performed the crime OF abortion
upon her. Now here is the crime:
Annie Goodwin died, or rather was
murdered, on July 18th on July 18th
the day before the girl died, DIR. Nc
Gonigal got a death certificate for her
under the name of Mrs. Jane Wilbur,
and under this name Annie Goodwin
was buried in st. Michaels Cemetery,
Astoria, on July 18th. She was alive
the day that DR.. McGonigal got the
death certificate. The girl was just
81 years old on the day of her tragic
death and the scenes at the lonely
death-bed are yet to be told. That
night the old Dr. wrapped quilt
around the lifeless body and left the
vile room kept by the old bag, with
the body thrown over his shoulder:
He left the house at midnight and
crushed and kicked the body under
the seat of his old gig and drove to
Undertaken Merritt, who for $50 re-
ceived the body without any ques-
tions, at 2 o'clock at night, thrust it
into pine box, after bending the
head and arms to make it fit, and
thus buried her as Jane Wilbur. No
one would imagine that girl could
be murdered and her body disposed
of in New York without its being
known, but this was by the merest
accident discovered nearly ten days
after her death. Nor would one think
that such types of human beings eX-
listed as DR.. McGonigal and the Shaw
woman-outside of novels. These are
the briefest sort of facts Of the
case. Annie Goodwin had another
lover, Andrew Tanning, who called in
the doctor at her request, but who
thought her pure and is respectable
fellow. The investigation has not
brought out anything new in the case
except that DR.. McGonigal has been
connected in affairs with the best
families in Harlem and may make
this an ultra-sensational case II ne
chooses. The children in the street
call him "cradle-robber,H as he drives
past in his old gig Sadie Traphagen,
Annie Goodwin's girl.friend, is most
valuable witness to help bring justice
to such murderers as DIR. McGonlgal
and Mrs Shaw, and such wretches as
"Gus" Harrison and Undertaken Mer-
rift. No one expects them TO get off
under the full sentence, but money
may do it. 1t might be added that
the disfigured and brutally handled
corpse was dug up and identified. 1t
presented such a terrible sight as to
make even those used to such scenes
shudder. The body was pressed in
the box on some shavings, half on its
side and half on its face, as though it
were a dog or a rat. One might eX-
pect to read such case from the pen
OF a Gaboriau, but not to happen in
every day life, especially in city like
this, where the laws are supposed TO
guard against just such cases. True,
the girl sinned, but no one who has
spark of feeling left can but wish that
those who brought about her terrible
death may get the severest sentence
the law can give them.
r. B. j.