Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-05-25
ORIGIN OF WHITE CAPS"
The Term First Applied to the Exeter
Treasure Seekers.
From the Boston Herald.

The term white caps" has come to be
synonymous with bands of men united by
secret ties for the purpose of committing
unlawful acts or for the purpose of taking
the law Into their own hands and admins
tering justice to offenders against public
morals who cannot be reached in the reg
ular way. But New Englands earliest
,''white caps" and the first bearers of the
name were organized for a different pur-
pose. Their origin dated back to the days
of Rainsford Rogers, an impostor and vaga-
bond whose Yillainies outdid all the efforts
of Henry Tufts.
Rogers was a sharper of the keenest pene-
tratiOn, and his plan was to take advantage
of the credulity of the unsophisticated New
Englanders by the most daring and original
of bunco games. Though illiterate he was
once a school teacher. He pretended a deep
knowledge of chemistry, and claimed that
he possessed the power to raise or to lay
spirits, good and evil at his pleasure.
He began his career of operating on the
superstitious belief of people al Morristown,
n. j., in 11SS, where he succeeded In de-
frauding a large number of followers out
of a large sum of money by the pretenSe
that through the agency of spirits he could
secure for them concealed treasure. Then
he disappeared.
He was soon depicting the pockets of the
;people in several of the southern states by
similar means. Under the name of William
Rice, with two confederates, he reaped q
rich harvest by operating various schemes
in Adams county, Pennsylvania making
OFF with a considerable sum yielded by his
confding dupes.
1t was soon after this. about 1900, that
he went to Exeter. bearing his true name
or Rainsford Rogers which had not ac-
quired so bad an odor In eastern New
England as In some other quarters.
+ In a short time he formed the acquaint-
ance OF number of men of substance in
the town. who were found sufficiently cred
ulOus to put entire faith in him. To a
dozen or more he confided his belief that a
'subterranean treasure of great value existed
in the neighborhood, which by his skill
he could discover and appropriate to their
common benefit
He repeatedly conducted them on dark
nights to out of the way places to dig in
1.-THE swamps with spades and other i'm
Eplements. and frequently kept them at work
for hours delving for the hidden prize. On
these expeditions he insisted that all must
lwear white caps. a circumstance that after
ward gave the name to the company.
: On one of these night excursions there
appeared before the eyes of the awe
stricken diggers figure all in white. rep
Presenting spirit, which uttered some
words that none could understand. One
k'white cap" anxious to lose nothing said:
"A little louder, Mr.. Ghost; I'm rather
hard of hearing"
But the diligent diggers found no treas
.ure. and soon Rogers disclosed the reason
OF their want of success. The golden de-
IpOsit was there beyond a doubt, but they
needed one thing more to enable them to
find 1t. That was a particular kind of d.
vlning rod. II must be made of costly ma
lterials. but ii would be infallible. 1t could
not be obtained this side of Philadelphia,
and would cost several hundred dollars
So infatuated We're the deluded company
that they quickly raised the necessary
amount and delivered 1t to Rogers who
mounted his horse and with saddle and
bride borrowed from one of his dupes, rode
on to parts unknown, never to return.
? The white caps" had been watched, in
their clandestine meetings. however. and
soon they were the laughing stock of the