In the 19th Century, the Elysian Fields in New Jersey, lay just a short boat trip away for New Yorkers looking to stretch their legs, take in some rural, countryside air or relax on the lawn of a riverside refreshment house with a glass of lemonade. Mostly famous for being the birthplace of modern baseball, the fields have another, somewhat less well-known story connected to their dense thickets and green walkways. Far from the straightforward drubbing of that first game of baseball, this story is, of course far darker, full of more twists and turns and has no winners. Hailed as one of the greatest criminal mysteries of 19th Century New York, the case of Mary Rogers is at once perfectly well solved and at the same time, completely wide open.
In the 19th Century, the Elysian Fields in New Jersey, lay just a short boat trip away for New Yorkers looking to stretch their legs, take in some rural, countryside air or relax on the lawn of a riverside refreshment house with a glass of lemonade. Mostly famous for being the birthplace of modern baseball, the fields have another, somewhat less well-known story connected to their dense thickets and green walkways. Far from the straightforward drubbing of that first game of baseball, this story is, of course far darker, full of more twists and turns and has no winners. Hailed as one of the greatest criminal mysteries of 19th Century New York, the case of Mary Rogers is at once perfectly well solved and at the same time, completely wide open.
Stashower, Daniel (2006) The Beautiful Cigar Girl: Mary Rogers, Edgar Allen Poe & The Invention of Murder. Berkley Publishing Group, NY, USA
Bowery News Office (1841) Trial of Madame Restell, alias Ann Lohman, for abortion and causing the death of Mrs. Purdy : being a full account of all the proceedings on the trial, together with the suppressed evidence and editorial remarks. Bowery News Office, NY, USA.
Poe, Edgar Allen (2014) The Complete Tales & Poems of Edgar Allen Poe. Race Point Publishing, NY, USA
Abbot, Karen (2012) Madame Restell: The Abortionist of Fifth Avenue. Smithsonian Magazine [online] Smithsonian Magazine. Available at: [Accessed 6 May 2022].
The Buffalo Daily Republic (1851) Riot In Hoboken. The Buffalo Daily Republic, Thursday 29 May, 1851, p.2. NY, USA.
New York Daily Herald (1838) Beautiful Girls Serving In Stores. New York Daily Herald, Monday 8 October, 1838, p.2. NY, USA.
The Evening Post (1841) The Mysterious Death of Miss Rogers. The Evening Post, Monday 16 August, 1841, p.2. NY, USA.
The Evening Post (1841) Murder of Miss Rogers. The Evening Post, Saturday 21 August, 1841, p.2. NY, USA.
The New York Tribune (1842) The Mary Rogers Mystery Explained. 18 November, 1942. P.2. NY, USA
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The Dark Histories Butterfly was drawn by Courtney, who you can find on Instagram @bewildereye
Music was recorded by me © Ben Cutmore 2017
Other Outro music was Paul Whiteman & his orchestra with Mildred Bailey - All of me (1931). It's out of copyright now, but if you're interested, that was that.
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