Omaha daily bee., 1903-04-06
TROUBLES AWAIT ROGERS
Suspected Of Other Grimes Besides the
Murder of Bert Forney.
BUTCHER LITcHFoRD IDENTIFIES HIN
PRtrOIman Lorensen Also says He is
Man who Shot at Him After
Breaking window in
Jewelry Store.

n. G. Rogers, the man arrested Saturday
night on suspicion of being one OF the two
hlghwaymen who shot and killed Saloon
keeper Bert Forney, was identified yester-
day by Charles w. Letchford as the man
who held him up and robbed him in his
butcher shop on South Main street on the
night of March 3. Patrolman Andrew Lor-
enzen also positively identified Rogers as
one of the two men who broke in the front
window of Herman Leffert's jewelry store
on Broadway, and while making his escape,
when pursued by the officers, turned and
fred at Lorensen.
When Rogers was brought from his cell
and confronted with MIR. Letchford he
dropped his head and had to be told to
look up in order that MIR. Letchford might
get a good look at him. The moment
Rogers raised his head Mr.. Letchford ex-
claimed:
That is the man who robbed me. There
can be no doubt about 1t. l am as positive
as l am that my name is Letchford."
when Letchford said this Rogers paled
perceptibly and again dropped his head.
Letchford then addressed Rogers, saying:
you know me, don't your"
Rogers answered that he had never seen
him before and to this Letchford replied:
"Oh. yes, you have. You know me we'll
enough. You have good reason to-"
Rogers mumbled something about Letch-
ford being mistaken and he was taken back
to his cell.
Mr.. Letchford's experience with the man
who held him up and robbed him was quite
an exciting one and he had every oppo--
tunity at the time to get a good look at
his assailant. Letchford was sitting in his
meat market after having counted up his
Havia coub and pranarad IN cInaa HE chon
when a man entered the front door with
his features partly concealed with a hand
kerchief. The fellow ordered Letchford to
hold up his hands and hand over the bag,
containing about $50, which was on the
bench beside him. After securing the
money the robber ordered Letchford at the
point of a revolver to go into a back room.
Letchford did as he was ordered and the
robber followed. Letchford succeeded in
wrestling the gun from his a~ssailant and
fred three shots at him. The fellow fell
over on a meat table and begged Letchford
not to shoot again, as he was already NOR
tally wounded. Letchford, thinking he had
the man safe. went out onto the street to
secure help, and when he returned in a
minute or two the robber had made his
escape by jumping through a rear window,
on which blood stains were found.
To BE Examined for Scars.
Rogers has a long scar. on the back Of
his left, hand. which may have been caused
by a cut received when jumping through
Letchford's window. He will be examined
today to ascertain II he has any bullet
marks on his body, as Letchford was al
most certain that one at least OF the shots
he fred struck him. Rogers was known
to be in Council Bluffs the day Letchford
was robbed, but had not since been seen
in the city until three nights ago.
When the night detail reported for duty
last evening Rogers was again brought
from his cell, and the moment oficer Lor-
enzen set eyes upon him he declared he
was the man who shot at him the night
OF the robbery of Lefferts jewelrX store.
Rogers was then made to don his overcoat
and black SLOUGH hat, and when thus attired
ohicer Lorenzen was more positive than
ever in his Identification. The revolvers
which the men who robbed Leffert's store
dropped in their flight were identified by
their numbers as being two Of a large num-
Der which had been stolen from a store in
Omaha q short time previously.
While the police have no direct evidence
duplicating Rogers in the blowing OF the
safe in the rof1ce of the Evans Laundry
comrrny on Pearl street two months ago,
they know that he was in the city at that
time and that he and his partner were IN
the laundry office that day, evidently sizing
UP the situation. His partner, said to be a
we'll known crook named Burr, is at pres
ent under arrest in Clinton, Ia, with hve
burglaries charged against him.
Doubts About ane
James CLANCY, the man who was playing
cards with Forney In the saloon the night
Of the murder, and who is being held at
the city Jail as a state witness. has not yet
been shown Rogers. 1t is understood he
will be confronted with him some time to-
day, as will Wolf Lebovitch, the Main
street clothing dealer, who sold each OF
two men a red handkerchief the evening of
the murder. The police have serious doubts
about CLANCY being able to identify any
one, as he was too badly frightened when
the shooting began.
The police feel cOnhden that in Rogers
they have one of the men who shot ard
killed Forney. The mans arrest, 1t is sa.-
was brought about through a tip given the
authorities by a well known member of
the sporting fraternity, who is said to be
well acquainted with the prisoner.
National Roofing Co, 1875 Main Street.