The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-11-20

In John Rogers" the man found at
, Top Mil furnace at / o'clock yes
terday morning, the police believe they
have a man who can tell the story of a
grewsome crime committed on the Ohio
river in a house boat while drifting
down stream between steubenville and
Wheeling.
As deailed in yesterdays Intelligent
Ger. the employees OF the blast furnace
requested Night Lieutenant supler, of
the police, to send up the patrol wagon
for a man who was huddled near the
furnace at midnight, trying to dry his
clothes. The wagon was sent up and a
very battered up man was taken to
headquarters. His clothes We're half
torn from his body and blood had con-
gealed on his head and face, having
come from several nasty cuts that
showed ha had passed through a trying
experience a. some kind. In fact, the
man could scarcely stand upon his one
good leg and the other, an artificial
limb.
Rogers showed peculiar reticence in
explaining his condition. Beyond stat
ing that he had been on u house boat
alone, and that the craft had run into
n barge and sank, and he had escaped
by wading and swimming 10 shore, he
had nothing to say. He explained the
numerous cuts on his head and face by
saying he had fallen when the boat
struck the barge.
THE MANS RETICENCE,
In the morning Chief Bennett was
unable to elicit further information Of
any Importance, but when DIR. Spargo
dressed the wounds early in the day,
he said emphatically that they had been
inflicted at least ten hours earlier than
the accident in which Rogers claimed
to have received them. Captain Ben
nett told Rogers that he was undoub.-
eddy telling a falsehood in his eXpla-
nation OF the wounds, but the man
stuck to his story and nothing further
could be wrung from him.
Early in the afternoon, Lieutenant
Dan ingram and officer Dudley, OF the
- ASANNN feAS = AAAik IN
Blatner, n South Side man, had caught
a house boat while adrift in the river
near the La Belle mill landing, in the
southern part of the city. The officers
made an investigation without delay,
and It developed that the craft was al
most a human slaughter house. It was
the boat which Rogers said had struck
a barge near the Top mill and went to
the bottom the night before. In point
of fact, the boat was unintured with
the exception of the destruction that
had been wrought in the interior Of the
boats cabin. a little apartment about
eight feet in width and fifteen feet long,
and the furniture equipment Of which
was only a stove. a table and some
blood stained boards.
And everywhere there was blood!
A SLAUGHTER HOUSE.
The sides of the boat were bespat-
tered with blood, the floor was car
peted with It, the table was adorned
with 1t, and even the stove was decora-
ted. On the floor was a broken Ratchet,
the blade side of which was broken off
at the juncture with the handle. The
Jagged edge at the break was covered
q bASSA oAAA mil AAAkgktLutT lNe
place had the appearance OF the scene
OF a sanguinary combat, and did any
thing but confirm the story Rogers had
told the police officers early in the
morning.
The officers brought the Ratchet,
blood-saturated boards and n package
TO police headquarters, where they
were examined by Captain Bennett. /.
was seen at a glance that the Ratchet
was the weapon which had been used
in inflcting some Of the wounds on
Rogers head. Both sides of the boards
were covered with blood that had al
ready congealed, showing that It had
been there several hours before Rog-
ers said the boat had been wrecked.
THE INVESTIGATION.
> In the package were a number OF ar
ticles. including some clothing. There
we're two copies OF the Pittsburgh
Chronicle Telegraph, dated November
4th and 9TH respectively; a Autograph
of 1.-THE Fast Mail" covered with blood,
and a Autograph showing n o~ue-logged
soldier "gcstlculating 10 what was pre-
Humed to be a smooth politician, and
with the printed line underneath. 81
am an old soldier" Above the picture
OF the soldier was written IN pencil the
name, &c. Trotter," which at frat led
the police to believe that tho name OF
the one-lcgged man In custody, who
had given "RogcrB' as his name, wag
Trotter. As related In the npcclal dlg-
patch to the ln]telligcnccr from stou-
benville, however. c. Trotter lg the
name OF the son Of the postmaster al
Stcubenylllc, Who Is working at gtcu-
benyllle, and can Of course have no con-
necti0n with the crime which the police
are o"ndcayOrlng to bring 10 llrhi
When confronted with tho ovldorco
that he had He'd In lIH previous riltr.
mentB 70 the police. "Rogorgn declined
10 correct anything h9 had said. and
maintained The same peculiar r]rtfroncc
that has characterized hiG conduct Hlupo
his detention Mt headquarters.
Last evening no o O'Clock two mon
who 1.-Two on 20 house boat anchored nj
Martins Ferry, called nt police head.
quarters, % nj tho request Uf Cnp-
tain Bennett took % look M Ilogpra. At
hrst RogcrB said 70 OF ihU two was tho
man from whom he hUd bought his boat
at stcubeuylllc n few days ngo. but this
was % mistake, l1 The man had not boon
at Btcubcnylllo recently.
IMPORTANT LINKS.
No further Hight was thrown upon Tho
myHtory until tho 1ntolllgenoyor'H fpo-
clhl dlFpatoh was received nt 10 o'oloet
last nlght ThlH ]d.rpniah ~ printed Boz.
low ma iprmn most important lIHlH in
The unra'olInr NJ The mystery that HIr.
rounds tho HifHlr. Soon after lt7 foa
cclpt an lnttllgeugof reporter called at