The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1905-02-04
A DETECTIVE
GO-BETWEEN
10 the Mary Rogers Poison
Proposition
NO MONEY WAS SENT
Massachusetts, Police Traced Letter to
Prison Official to Boston, and
Then Notified Vermont
officials.

Boston, Feb 4.--One of the inter-
esting sidelights of the case of Mrs.
Mary M. Rogers in Vermont, is the
umearthing in this city OF what the
police are inclined to believe was a
deliberate plan to rob the gallows Of its
victim by smuggling poison to the pris-
oner just before she was TO go TO the
scaffold.
The inquiry into this matter has been
very quietly conducted, and although no
arrests have thus far been made, it is
possible that such a climax may result.
A report on the matter, made by the
state police, has been forwarded to
Atty. Gen. Fits OF Vermont, and if he
is inclined to believe the evidence iusti-
lies an arrest, one will be made.
1t is said that the trial leads up TO
the door of certain private detective
in this city, who is supposed to have
been acting for certain other persons
The assumption is that these persons,
interested not Onls in what they CON
sidered the good name Of the state OF
Vermont, but also in assisting the con-.
demned murderess to avoid the odious
contamination of her life on the gal
lows, sought for a gobetween To COM
plete the negotiations which would en-
able the prisoner to take poison, and,
By suicide, when all other hope was lost,
cheat the gallows.
The story is an old one, but it has
been well concealed. Last December the
90 between wrote letter to one of the
guards in the Vermont state prison,
condemning the hanging Of woman,
and suggesting that the guard as a
last resort, when it became manifest
that there was no other way to per
NIT the prisoner to escape the scat
fold, should put into her possession
powder, which would be furnished him.
For his service in SO doing he was
to receive 5000, or, rather, this sum was
promised him in case he accepted the
suggestion and a further reward was
promised in case he successfully carried
out the programme 1t does not appear
that the go-between attempted to com
mInicate with Mrs Rogers and obtain
her consent to this scheme Apparent
ly it was assumed that she would be
willing to do her part, even though it
involved an act OF suicide, provided she
AltA-flL ia tutG way GHQ Hti tAACt
Presumably she was to act upon the
hint conveyed by the mere presence of
the powder, but the scheme failed for
several reasons. The first was that the
guard, instead of asserting to the prop
POSITION contained in the letter, turned
il over to the superintendent of prisons.
a certain name and address in this city
was signed to the document To de-
termine the genuineness of the letter,
the attorney general Of Vermont wrote
to Atty. Gen. Parker of this state, and
the latter gave the matter for investi-
cation TO the state police.
A preliminary study Of the situation
revealed the fact that the name signed
to the letter was probably fictitious.
The postoffiee authorities we're then con.
siilted, and they worked in harmony
with the state police in following up
decoy letter which was sent. This
letter led right up to the detective
aforesaid, bat whether the trail was
sufficiently conclusive to Justify crimi-
nal proceedings remains to be seen. The
state officers are silent on the case,
the PostofIice authorities likewise, and
the attorney general avoids discussion
Of the matter on the plea that interstate
courtesy forbias any comment at this
time.
1t is admitted, however, that, as
result Of the collaboration entered into
between the police and the postoflice
department, report Of the situation
has been sent to the Vermont author
tiles, and the intimation is that what |
future proceedings, if any, are to be
taken, shall be indicated By Atty. Cen
Fits.
So far as can be learned, he has not
yet indicated his desires to the Massa-
authorities, and they profess
TO be doing nothing whatever on the
matter at present. In fact, they claim
to have concluded their investigation f
weeks ago.
Contrary to some reports, no money /
or poison was sent in the letter to the
prison officer 1t was merely a propo-
sition. just what charge could be main
tanned is a question
One could hardly be accessory to a
suicide or to murder, although some
put the latter construction on the act.
The most probable charge, if one is
made, is that Of attempting to bride
a prison official