The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-08-12
THAT NEWTON CASE,
SHIRLEY AND ROGERS WERE BOUND
OVER TO THE DISTRICT COURT.
A Strong Chain Of Evidence Produced
Against Thsm-An Editor Pasted
in the Court Room.


which lasted four days George Shirley
and q. WASH Rogers have been bouut
/ over to the District Court of Harvey
county in the sum of S., go each which
was cut down from $40 600 each on account
of the eloquent plea made by Judge Wal
OF this city, who showed in his usual
smooth way the practical impossi bility oil
giving a $4,000 bond in these "lack oil
confidence" days.
The EAGLE was the first paper to give an
account OF The arrest of Shirley and Rog
ers for the alleged burning of the
county records OF Harvey county in their
own interest as the parties having the
only set of abstract books in the county.
Ia giving this news the details of the
crime were given as reported by competen;
authority i'll the usual conservative style
Of this paper. The Newton Kansan at
tackled the writer of the article with full
stock of jockey stable vituperation, and
yet the kansan now gives tie evidence in
the case as follows:
George w. Holmes was then called. He
said he had lived in Newton since 1874:
practlced law one year; was assistant
cashier of Harvey County bank: bought
the abstract and insurance business.
About 'So borrowed 1000 from George w.
Rogers; subsequently gave chattel mort
gage TO Rogers for money previously had
from him. About May !, 1892, Rogers
came to my office and asked how business
was and II WIS doing much abstractlns;
L said business was very dull and L was
not doing much, to which Rogers
replied: You're damn fool, why
don't you blow the records to hell?
then your books would be worth some
thing" L told him that would be a nice
thing, but had never been lucky enough
FOR anything like that, though such a
result would lie good thing for fellow
like HE who was out of money. but if
such a thing were done the finger OF every
man, woman and Child in Harvey county
would be pointed Immediately at me as
the guilty party. to which he replied: IL
didn't think you were so thin skinned;
turn the books over to me and will DO it
and you can have IA half interest in the
books and no one know anything about il,
and you Can work III the Office" | told
him 1T was 1, temptation but / would never
do such "A thing. That he had several con-
yersations with Rogers between that time
and the time the books were turned over
to him, could not say how many, but
were all to the same nature and effecto
In scoring the Eagle writer the kunsan
couldn't find words fine enough to paint
the angelic purity of Mr. Rogers and
every time he would land Rogers he
would call the Eagle reporter "whe!p''
or n 'hireling" or some such pet name
Yet he now gives in his own paper the
evidence which is very mild
compared with other reports or the nature
of the testimony,
III another paragraph in the account of
the trial the following testimony is given.
The next witness was James Martin,
ne said be originally came from Rochester
New York; that he now has no home,
been travelling for five years. He said he
came to Newton Friday evening, March
10, with Harry Carroll, with whom he had
been travelling for three months; shortly
after their arrival Carroll met him and
told him Shirley wanted to see him; they
saw Shirley on the street about 10 pm,
and arranged to meet him later that
night at his rooms; they met him;
Shirley asked him if he wanted a job
At which he could make $500? Martin
said: Yes, If it is not too hardn Shirley
hen told him he wanted him to ourn the
records in the registers Office; he de-
scrloed the plan of the registers office
aud the vault and told him now il could
be done, and that be would pay him 5000
tor the Job. and also gave him IL diagram
Of the building, and they made the con-
tract then and there, conditioned that
hugs should be found as represented by
shirley. They were not together at that
time for more than fifteen or twenty min
utes, the job to be done on Saturday
night. He made a casual examination
Or the court house on Saturday, and
found it To be arranged rs Shirley
described it, except nothing had been
said about Il family living in an
adjoining building. He then saw
shirley again aud complete arrange
ments were made to do the
work at 2 o'clock that night, at which
lime Shirley was to have all the officers at
his rooms TO get them out OF the way |
Two beer bottles We're then filed with coal
Dil by Shirley and given to him; he said
hat was not enough, but after further
ak lie said he guessed he could arrange
about the OIL. He took the bottles of oil
aud hid them under "a pile of ties in the
'ailroad yard. He didn't do the work
night. On Sunday Shirley saw
aim and asked: 'Whe di.iu'C you do that
Job last night; had the officers all fixed |
told HIM 1t WAS worth more mouey, aud |
shirley said i am not authorized to give
my more. 1t was then sed that the |
JOB should be done Sunday night, |
/ was not done because | wanted more
money and left town Monday at noon for !
" cbita."
The above testimony is taken from the |
PAPER whose editor called tue EAGLE re- !
porter ''whelp" for giving :, mild init |
nation that Shirley was suspected of |
having fixed up the job.
Now, then, comment on this evidence |
viii not be out Of place, aud the comment /
s based on Information received from |
Jhief Cone Of this city. When Shirley |
old Martin that he had the Officers /
lXed' Martin said he would take no |
hauces and asked Shirley for revolver |
Shirley gave him Que. and Mar /
In, failing to do the lob, !
anne to Wichita, as stated, and
old the revolver here. That he WAS not
ying abou. the revolver Is proven by the
act that the same revolver has been found |
ere in the very same secondhand store
hat Martin claimed to have sold it.
Ii will also be seen by the above evidence
hat Shirley gave Martin two bottles ill
Il with coal oil and Martin says he hid
hem under a pile OF ties Chief Cone
sked Martin to lead him to she pile Of
les and Martin did SO, but the ties had
zen removed in the meantime. When
lsrtiu's statement about hiding the oil
nder the pile Of ties came out in
he above report of the proceedings a man
Tho had read it came to Chief Cone and
old him that along about that time two
oys came to him with some beer bottles
DR. sale and among the lot were two filled
Tith coal oil. He didn't buy these TWO
II account OF having oil in them. He re-
the boys and took Chief Cone
D them. They stated that they found the
CITIES under pile of ties aud they led
i'm TO the very place where Martin said
e hid them This fact is certainly very