The Mystery of Mary Rogers is another of Rick Geary's true crime graphic novels. This one took place in 1841, and remains unsolved. Three maps are provided before part I: The first is a look at the New Jersey and New York areas mentioned. The second is a closer look at the City of New York in 1841. The third is the Jersey Shore.

Part I covers the discovery of Mary Rogers' body, the inquest, and what New York City was like in 1841.

Part II is a biography of Mary Rogers from her birth to the day after she disappeared. We learn about her two main suitors, law clerk Alfred Crommelin and cork-cutter Daniel Payne, who had a weakness for booze. If you're guessing that Mary chose
Payne, you're right - much to her widowed mother's disapproval.

Part III covers the investigation, which got started only after the police and the acting mayor were prodded into action by a monetary reward some citizens offered and the influence of the newspapers. Both suitors had to give an account of themselves. Some leads were pursued, but they were dead ends. Men were arrested and released. Mary is buried in an unmarked grave. At least it's in a graveyard. Then there is the discovery, months later, of a ticket with some of Mary's clothes in it. This brings the Ned Moore's House tavern at the Loss family, a widow and her two sons, who ran it.
We get some contemporary theories and a suicide.

Part IV is about how Edgar Allan Poe, who had been acquainted with Mary Rogers back when she worked at Anderson's cigar store, turned the tragedy into a story, 'The Mystery of Marie Rogêt'. This section doesn't cover something I read in
Poe the detective; the curious circumstances behind The mystery of Marie Rogêt by John Evangelist Walsh: that Poe had to quickly rewrite installment four of his story because of the news of a deathbed confession after installment three came out.

Part V is more about Mary Rogers. What happened to Mrs. Loss is a reminder about gun safety being necessary in the home. There's a supposed deathbed confession. The events described in the confession are discredited. Mr. Geary gives a page listing eight very good questions about the case that are still unanswered. Three possible solutions are given, one each for Mary Rogers' suitors, one some people think about Edgar Allan Poe as the killer, and what happened when Mr. Anderson died.

The case is interesting enough even without the connection to Edgar Allan Poe's story. I recommend it to true crime fans. ( )

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Yet another American unsolved murder, deliciously illustrated by Rick Geary. ( )

Yet another American unsolved murder, deliciously illustrated by Rick Geary. ( )

Yet another American unsolved murder, deliciously illustrated by Rick Geary. ( )