The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-01-26
THE ROGERS MURDER.
How the Assassination was Committed
YheOrY OF the Murderer's Escape.

RheOrY Oh the muruerer'A Escape.
The New York Telegram of last evening gives
an account of how the officials have been toiled
in their efforts to find the assassin of old Mr.
Rogers. 1t speaks as follOws:-
A gentleman assailed in front of his own
door, and in broad daylight Two daring
thieves seized him, attempting to intimidate
him by show OF murderous weapons. he had
pluck, and made desperate struggle against
the robbers, who to save themselves and aid
their robbery killed their victims and fled after
Tobbing the body. The police were not on
hand, aud the daring villains found not
In very short time the body of the
murdered man was found in the area
way of his house, the police came on the scene,
there was great stir, aud the detectives were
summoned to take the matter of the arrest of
the guilty parties in their hands. They soon
found what they supposed to be clue. This
was piece of a coat which had evidently been
torn from the back of one of the murderers by
the victim in his death struggle. 10 this rem
nant was pocket OF the coat to which it had
originally belonged, and in this pocket was an
old .crumped envelope addressed to a per-
son in this city. 1t was now plain sailing.
AT least so the detectives thought and
they accordingly proceeded to arrest every
man named James Logan whom they
heard OF. None of these proved to be the right
party. Then they tried TO find the man Tom,
whom an endorsement on the envelope led them
to suppose had written the letter.. Every
variety of Old Tom was tried, with the same
tried to find the rest of the coat to which the
remnants in their hands belonged. In this, too,
they failed. Nothing came of all their bluster
and show of enterprise. Then the Mayor took
the natter in hand, and, with the first display
of brains or skill in the entire case placarded the
city with offers OF high reward for the identid
cation OF the man who wrote the letter found in
the mysterious remnant left on the body of the
murdered man. Even this effort has proven
thus far of no avail.
The police force, who consider themselves an
,ll ..s, 1c ..v,,t,,
made the victims of very simple though novel
'put-up iob.n The highwaymeD, before starting
out on their tramp, laid their plaus, considered
every possibility OF detection, weighed well the
consequences of different courses of action, and
finally, after having prepared for the most des-
perate emergency to which they were liable,
put their plot in execution. That their idea
was new and remarkably brilliant cannot be
denied, and that their plan was creditable as
piece of fine brain work is shown by the success
which has resulted in their design of throwing
all suspicion from them. The means they pre-
pared to this end were the coat aud the letter.
The remnant was carried with them for the
purpose of atfording misleading cue to the
police, If they should find themselves in tight
place. The anecessity for putting the wel-laid
plan in operation arose when it was found
necessary to proceed to extreme measures to
rob Mr.. Rogers. He was killed, and the MUIR
derers found no one to prevent their escape.
tanning the mysterious envelope, all made up
for the occasion, and took to flight Then the
police came on the scene as usual and clustered
a great deal, pretended they knew great
deal, worked up the case great deal, wlnked
a great DEAL practised mystifcation a great
DEAL and actually did very little. The de-
tectives, with their usual pOmposity, took the
matter IN hand, and IN the fulness of their
egotism fell plump at the first spring into the
shallow snare that had been set for them. They
found the rlue which they were intended to find.
The envelope was brought to light, and the
hearts of the astute officers were made glad.
Here was piece of the murderer's coat, with
pocket containing al envelope addressed to him.
This was plain sailing, of course. So the de-
tectives set about arresting every man by the
name of Tom or Jim who was to be found with
in a radius of fifty miles. OF course they learned
nothing. The murderers did not intend that
they should. >"
While this ridiculous search has been going
on, the rutiians have been kept in close conceal
ment, although there was actually no danger in
their even presenting themselves as spectators
at the inquest, for all the chance there was of
their Identification as the guilty parties. Now,
after the authorities have relaxed their efforts
in despair of ever making out clean case mys.
terious murmurings are heard among the rough
classes of the west side. 1t is rumored that the
guilty parties have left the countIy-that they
have gotten beyond the reach of the authori-
ties, and their friends in their jubiation cannot
resist the temptation to hint the fact of their
escape.