The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-11-15


At first he declined to make any
statement, but on being assured that
the matter could hardly be kept quiet
and that the reporter was anxious to
get the statement. he invited the re-
porter in and said he would make a
clean breast of the whole business.
1.-The girl here" he said, brokenly,
and pointing toward the bedroom,
was this evening delivered of
child. We have known she was sick,
but 1 work nights and sleep days and
had no idea of this. She is an or
phan. my cousin. I have supported
her since she was IL years old, and she
is now %. Well. the little babe was
born this evening. l was terribly an
cry and I asked her who its father
was. She told me that Rogers, the
Shoemaker, was the man; that he had
drugged her and brought about her
ruin about nine months ago. This
Rogers was a kind of thea trical man
ager. He made up home dramatic
troupe and went about playing. She
was one of the players. One time she
went to see him"
''Was it to his rooms she went?"'
asked the reporter.
Mr.. Capes opened the door and
called, Francis. where was it that
happened?"
cat his rooms over that place where
they make lard" was the answer given
in weak voice from the white-faced
individual.
"She says she went there" continued
Mr.. Capes. ''to find out when the
troupe was to start out again, and
that he gave her a piece of candy
which must have been drugged, for
she did not remember anything more
till after the deed was DONE I was
about crazy. 1 went down to see Rog-
don't think L meant to kill, but 1 was
terribly mad. He denied his guilt.
started to club him with the pistol
He caught it and it went off. He pro-
tested that if I would go to Chief
Davenport with him he could square
himself. I went, and there I found
that about four months ago She had
had to ask protection of the police. I
preferred a charge of rape against
him. [ don't suppose I did just right
to assault him, but had terrible pro-
vocation" Mr.. Capes' mother was also
present, and she said that the man
Rogers had made himself obnoxious to
her and to Francis. Once he had
come to the house and had been re-
fused admittance; another time he
had accosted her upon the street and
asked her to make things with him
and the girl, saying that he would
make her a splendid present if she
would
The reporter found Rogers at his
shop, where the shooting occurred. He
was under arrest and in charge of an
officer detailed to pass the night there.
Mr.. Rogers said: "I have nothing to
say. L don't want anything in the
and 1 don't want any notoriety to
this. L won't make any statement"
Then Rogers grew very talkative,
and described the desperate struggle.
81 was sitting here in my shop. The
man came in and asked if / were Mr..
Rogers, said yes Then he told a
boy who was in here to go out, as he
wanted some private talk with me. The
boy went out and then Capes put his
hand back of him and flashed a pis-
| tol and shot at me. 1 jumped at him
and caught the pistol just in time to
save my head. The bullet went be-
tween my fingers, through my over
wall"
LAS for my doing anything wrong
with the girl. I'll disprove that charge
can prove that she was bad girl
years ago, and III do it, too. She
| Travelled with me on the road in the
show business. Her stage name was
May Rivers. Here it is on one of my
old show bills. She was thoroughly
bad girl years before I knew her. II
have that cousin or whatever he is
to her. arrested tomorrow for assault
with intent to kill. I'd rather be Il
my shoes than his"
You say there was a third party
witnessed the shooting" said the Her
aid man. ''Mr. Capes says no one elst
was about"
There was. and I'll produce him to
morrow His name is Fred Hough, /:
school boy about 16 years old"
Rogers said this boy was sent on
of the shop by Capes, and that he say
the struggle and the shooting through
the window Mr.. Capes is a car re
pairer and inspector for the Southern
Pacific.
Rogers is an old theatrical man an
has of late been a shoemaker. Cape
appears about 80 years old and Roger
about At.
ETTER CARRIERS