The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1886-08-12
THE RoGEn,s MURDER.
The Defense Presents u Peculiar Case for
tho PrIsOner.

The Defense Presents u Peculiar Case fol
the Prisoner.
Special Correspondence Of&s MtaliGaIoer,
CALDWELL, o., August ll.-There has
been so much ioollshuess in the dispatches
to the press SbouL the Rogers murder thatit
Is desired to have the facts as they actually
transpired set before the public,
The preliminary trial took place here
to-day, the Prosecutor representing the
State and the Hon. J. n. Dalzell appear.
ing for the defendant. The volume OF evi.
deuCe was exceedingly limited. Only
three witnesses were examined, yet the
whole case was developed In that brlei
compass. Tho surgeon who made the
autopsy was the first witness, He found
one stab in the body, 1t was In the left
thigh, through the iemoral artery, one
and half inches deep aud one.hRlf inch
wide. 1t caused death.
1t was lateral, or at right angles with
the perpendicular OF the body. II could
have been produced either by pushing
tho instrument to the leg, or the leg to the
instrument, in his opinion. Body OF de-
ceased indicated perfect health, great
physical strength and vigor. He was l75
pounds in weight, muscular, q powerful
man. He had no disease, NO physical de.
feet whatever. The next witness was the
widow OF deceased, Mrs. Agnes Rogerp, in
deep mourning, heavily velled aid weep.
Ing, She was so agitated that shO could
hardly speak at all at first, but recovering
control Of her feelings she proceeded to
tell all she know Of tho case In remarkably
few words. Father and son had been
drinking oil day, 1t wac dark on the
evening OF August 8, 1885, and they were
out on porch In front OF the house.
There was 10 light on the porch. She
could as she passed In and out hear their
drunken talk but SEQ nothing. She heard
loud talk. She went out. Deceased had
Jumped out Of his chair and jumped on
Ihe prisoner. Prisoners wife had hold oi
deceased's arm, and WAS begging him not
to hurt her husband.
Just then the old man fell exClaiming
II am deadl" She brought q lamp and
the floor was covered with blood. Jacob
knolt before his father aud leaning over
said these words: Pap, l would not have
uuIt YOU lOE tub WOTlu. speak 70 me,
tell me how you are hurt" In moment
the old man was dead. She saw no knife.
She saw no blows.
The next witness was Charles Rogers
her son, aged eleven years, q step-brolhel
OF the prisoner. The little fellow was very
frank TO say he was 30 scared that be
could remember nothing but that "Par
jumped on Jake, and struck Jake. Jakeft
wife tried to pull Pap back, for Pap was
going to hit Jake again. Then Pap fell, y
and he could remember no more about It
The wife Of the prisoner cannot testify
and the secret oil the tragedy is still in the
dark, un,ess the prisoners story Is true
that he was whiting when the old man
struck him, and in warding oil the second
blow, as he stopped down and the old man
advanced, the old mans leg got cut on the
knife accidentally.
Mayor Foster decided that no case oI
murder had been made, and the worst be
could see in II was possibly manslaughtel
at the worst and fixed the bond at $1,000
in default Of which the prisoner was re-
manded to await trial in September.