In Buffalo on Sunday, Nov. 25, Anna Katherine Green and her husband, Charles Rohlfs, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. Mrs. Rohlfs is now 88 years old, and she has done little or no writing since her last novel appeared about 11 years ago. But she has to her credit a total of 27 books, and to have written one at the age of 77 that showed no perceptible waning of vigor and craftsmanship may be considered a crowning distinction.
It hardly seems possible that nearly 60 years have elapsed since the original publication of “The Leavenworth Case.” It created a near-sensation upon its appearance, being the first outstanding mystery story of its class by an American author, and it had a long-enduring popularity. And when critically compared with all the hundreds of stories of type which have been published in the past half-century it still holds it own as one of the best.
It was some seven years after the publication of “The Leavenworth Case” that Miss Green was married to Mr. Rohlfs. He is a designer of furniture and is not without an international fame in that art, but a carpenter of mysteries moves more easily than a designer of furniture along the road to renown and the name of Anna Katharine Green is undoubtedly known to far more people than the that of Charles Rohlfs. Individual names in furniture making these days do not rise to the top as conspicuously as they did in the time of Chippendale and Adam. Yet many pieces of Mr. Rohlfs’ furniture were purchased for Buckingham Palace and there are choice specimens in various European museums.
Married in Brooklyn 50 years ago, the Rohlfs have had a happy wedded life. Their congeniality, no doubt, was measurably promoted by their devotion to two entirely different Iines of art which they could follow with complete freedom from any consciousness of competitive rivalгу.