St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-11-03

shoot him. The latter ran to the
house, ana we hat started %
walk away when Rooarge came out
with a shotgun. lie fired deliberately
at me, and fell. Then he fired at Ben.
who staggered few steps and fell also.
! was not very badly hurt, thnugbs
stunned. and managed tn get round
the corner of the house, where fell
again."
"ls the story true that you pursued
R0barge to- the door OF his house with
an axT'
''NO. We used no weapons, nor were
we the aggresSors. God knows it's ali
awful business enough. am afraid the
cattle were on Robarge'S corn, and that
they had been there before. He was
exasperated to madness. It's an awful
business; awful"
A Wife,s Agonized Tale.
Mrs. Rnbarge, the wife, was visited
at the farm. She sat erect i'm char,
before stove from which the fire had
died out. There were no tears in her
eyes, but. instead. an expression of
silent anguish infinitely more terrible
to see. About her clambered the frur
whlte-headed babes, who realized moth
ing of the tragedy that had been ell
acted before their very eyes. Thirty
once happy little family lay, as CHASTITY
corpse as ever mortal eyes l0nked ON.
Mrs. Robarge looked up as the GLOBES
representative spoke to her. Had she
the courage to talk of the events of the
morning? Yes; she would tell all SHE
knew, ana in her own simple language
She told the terrible story.
"When the trouble began" she said,
81 was in the barn milking a cow. The
men were outside qualreling. Until a
week ago W.. were the best of friends
with the Rogers. About that time
their cattle began trespassing on our
was up almOstall night, and night after
night. driving them awav. This MORN
ing they were there again. My husband
is hot-tempered. and he, perhaps, spoke
Grossly to the herd boy. Then the ROg-
ers came over. and there was trouble.
One of them took an axe, and another a
shovel, and l went into the house.
saw the elder Rogers put his
hani in his hip pocket as if he was go
ing to shout. Then George ran to the
house. and as he came i'm the door, the
younger Rogers threw the axe. It
struck the door post close to Georges
head and split the post from top to bot
tom. The axe handle was smashed into
five pieces by the force of the blow.
Then George got the shotgun and ran
out, and then--Ohi for the love of
GOi don't ask me to tell about it. /
shall never be able to blot out
the sight. saw Ben Rogers
fall, and felt that he was dead. | was
SO terrified that dared not go out 10
find my husband. Soon after / heard
another gunshot from the barn, and /
knew God help me. l knew just as
well as now-that my children were
fatherless and widow"
Arrested TO Prevent Trouble.
One Of the first to arrive at the scene
OF the murder was John Hickey. eX-
poundmaster at South st. Paul. and a
neighb0r of Robarge's. He was loud in
declaring that Robarge had done ex-
actly the right thing in killing the
Rogers boys, and stating that he would
have done precisely the same thing un-
der the. circumstances. Hickey's talk
SO excited the crowd gathered there,
every member of which was stauncil
friend of the Rogers family, that his
life was in danger. He was promptiy
placed under arrest on charge of dis
orderly conduct and lodged in Jail. An
effort to see him proved futile. Several
police officers stODd guard over the barn
in which lay the remains OF Robarge
until the arrival of Coroner Cadzow,
of Dakota county. The remains were
viewed. and in both cases it was de-
cided that the facts were sufficiently
apparent to all, and that no inouests
would be held.
Grief of the Parents.
| Mr.. and Mrs. Rogers, the parents Of
the murdered man, had been to the city
| to church. Miss Rogers had gone with
tsas s.,rr In. t,,,o
known to the brothers at the farm they
sent telegram to St. Paul, advising
their parents of the facts. This never
reached its destination, and the first
| knowledge the old folks gained of the
tragedy by which they were so
irreparably bereaved was when they
drove up to their own doors. The effect
on the poor mother was simply fright
full. She swO0ned and swoOned again,
and in her meanings seemed unable to
believe that her oldest boy lay dead in
another rOnm. The father. tine-loef-
ing man, scarcely more than fifty to all
sharp, nervous strides, groaning
in the anguish of his heart.
yet bearing this frightiul trouble that
had come upon him as only brave man
could bear it. a question from the re-
porter caused him to stop in his walk,
He answered deliberately and courte-
ously, then the nervous tramp up and
down the room was resumed. Nothing
could assuage grief like his. and his
friends had left him alone with his
trouble.
The Brother Shocked.
Ad0lphuS R0barge, a brother of the
dead iilan and owner of the farm IN
which he lived, resides at South Park.
ii oil ,fh
the events of the day, the GLOBE repre-
sentative drove to the brothers. house.
-Four hours had elapsed since the COM
| mission of the crime, and it was in
every ones mouth, but Adolphus
Robarge had not heard of it. When the
| truth Was TOLD him he staggered and al
most fell. THAT must be lie,'' he
| SAID, but his face in its ashen palIor be-
| trayed that he believed it true. Being
convinced of the facts, the unfortunate
man seemed almost paralyzed. He
| climbed tremblingly into the buggy and
was driven to the scene. He stated for
been terribly hot-tempered man, aud
he had feared the advent of some such
| time as this.
Scene of the Tragedy.
The place at which two men came 70
their death is situated among series of
| little rolling hillocks in the high ground
10 the west of the town. The, RObarge
| house is frame one with porch on
two of its sides. painted in light green.
| and more pretentious generally than
most residences of tenant farmers.
Small trees and brush grow all about
the place, and the track left by the
fatal charge of duck shot is plainly
disrernible among the bushes. A pool
of blood at the foot of a tree tO the
northwest of the house marks the spot
where Ben Rogers fell. Ten feet away
is the trail of the shot, which shows
that the dying man must have stagger-
ed about that distance ere he fell. Near
] tho 16,aar liz. Gl,s. =