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On this day in NY history: Who killed 'The Beautiful Cigar Girl'? Part 2 of 3: (History 101)
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Sybil's Cave, Hoboken, where Mary's body was brought to shore
Vanished: July 25, 1841
Body found: July 28, 1841
Investigation: July 1841 - Oct 1842
The hunt for Mary Rogers' killers continued for a few more weeks. By mid-August, there weren't any solid leads. Interest in the story waned.
At the end of August 1841, Mrs. Frederica Loss, a Hoboken tavern owner, announced that her sons had discovered the place Mary had been killed. Her tavern, named Nick Moore's House, was located in a large woodsy area near where Mary's body had been found.
She told the police that on August 25, two of her sons had gone out to collect some firewood. In the woods, they had found several pieces of women's clothing, including a handkerchief monogrammed M.R. After her sons brought Mrs. Loss the clothes, she waited a few days before she alerted the cops. She claimed that she didn't know what the clothes meant to the investigation. Both the woods and the tavern soon swarmed with police, reporters, and curious sightseers.
The Herald reported: "[(the clothes) had all evidently been there at least three or four weeks. They were all mildewed. The grass they were found in had grown around and over some of them. The scarf, gloves, and the petticoat were crumpled up as if in a struggle]."
Loss' instant fame seemed to have improved her memory. She suddenly recalled that she had met Mary on the day she died. Loss said that Mary and a "tall young man" came into her tavern about 4:00 on Sunday, July 25. The man drank ale and Mary had lemonade. They left after they finished their drinks. Later, Loss claimed that she heard a scream from nearby. She thought it was one of her sons in trouble, but when she ran to help him, she found him safe. She then forgot about the scream until her sons had found the clothes in the woods.
The Herald said that Loss' story was proof that a gang had murdered Mary. The Evening Tattler, however, vehemently disagreed with Loss' tale. The newspaper stated that the clothes couldn't have gone undiscovered for a month. In addition, there had been a pair of lady's gloves found among the clothing ... but Mary still had her gloves on when she was found. The Evening Tattler concluded that the Loss family, who wanted to profit from the media frenzy that surrounded the case, had planted the clothes. Frederica Loss' fame quickly ended.
In October 1841, the strange death of Daniel Payne turned the spotlight back onto him ...
Who killed 'The Beautiful Cigar Girl'? (Part 1 of 3)
Who killed ‘The Beautiful Cigar Girl’? (Part 3 of 3): Poe turned detective, Mrs. Loss had a secret?
(History 101)
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