The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-06-25
OUTRAGED FATHER
MAKES TRAGEDY
John Dockery Fatally Shot BY Policeman Ike
Rogers For Wronging Daughter in Company
With Claude NJ. Bernard

l
| had fallen to the landing.
Origin of Trouble. Shooting Develop
ment.
| For some days there had been the
! greatest excitement among the fami-
les of both Policeman Rogers and Mr..
/ Howell. "a From one thing TO another,
ugly stories as to the conduct of Lula
| Rogers. II years old, and Bertha
| Howell, is or 10 years of age, had
| come to light. The fathers of the
| girls mad questioned them and it was
made plain that they had been in COM
pany with Mr.. Dockery and Mr.. Ber-
nard at a house kept by one Jennie
| May, on East Cabarrus street.
| Naturally the fathers and brothers
Of the young women involved looked
for satisfaction. Both Bernard and
Dockery, however were out Of town.
attending Federal Court at Whining
ton. Bernard has not yet returned.
Mr.. Dockery came back on an early
train yesterday morning. He had
heard of the charges against him and
he came, according to his ante-mortem
statement to settle matters if possible
For several days it is said that Mr..
Rogers had been looking for Dockery.
For an hour or more on yesterday
Mr.. Rogers. several of the Howells
and another man whose name is not
known, had been holding frequent
conferences in front of the postoffice
and the court house. and had been
walking up and down the sidewalk in
front of these buildings and the Tuck
eT building. For a part Of this time
Mr. Dockery was in the Hicks phar-
macy. which is a part of the Tucker
building. The men had .heen~nninted
out To him by a friend and ne haq
been put on his guard. Finally Mr..
Clarence Howell came into the drug
store. and addressing Mr.. Dockcry,
asked for a private conversation. Mr..
Dockery replied that he could see him
in half an hour. 1t was finally agreed
between them to meet at the office OF
PoU & Fuller, on the first floor of the
Tucker building, in twenty minutes.
Mr.. Dockery then went back of the
postoffice building and had q CONVEX
sation with Postmaster Bailey. after
which he entered the building by the
north entrance. Soon afterwards Mr..
Rogers was seen to approach the north
steps and look west as though search
ing for someone.
Later. however Mr.. Dockery passed
Mr.. Rogers and others of the Howells
on the sidewalk in front of the post
office building.
AS to the visit to the Tucker build
ing. Mr.. Clarence Howell says as fol-
lows:
I'VE were to go and talk matters
over in Mr.. Pou's office. When We got
to the door, Mr.. Dockery said. You
so first. He had his hand in his coat
pocket | ran on up the steps ahead
of him. At the top of the steps l saw
Mr.. Rogers / passed him. Almost
Immediately | heard the first shot. |
could not say who fired it. There
were other shots in quick succession
and l ran into Mr.. Dougt'ss office
Immediately the banisters of the
floors above were thronged with
startled people. Mr.. Dockery's cries
rang through the building. M. Rog
ers, with smoking pistol waited for the
officers to CONF. He had been in the
building for ten or fifteen minutes He
had been to see Mr.. Douglass and told
him of his trouble. Afterwards he
must have been waiting in the hall.
WAS anything said?' l asked Clar
ence Howell.
Il heard Mr. Rogers say. Good
morning. Mr.. Dockery, and then there
came the first shot.
ITmedlately after the shooting. peo-
pie rushed in from the street and
down the steps from the adjoining Of
fees. Mr.. Docllery lay on the midway
landing, his feet on the stairs, his left
arm protruding under the railing
Messrs. a. c. Hinton and Marcus
Croker were first to his side and pick
ed him up. He was at once carried to
Hubert Registers office.
While Sheriff Page and Deputy Wal
tiers took Mr.. Rogers to the court
house a crowd of hundreds gathered
in front of the Tucker building and
overlooked it's stdircases and Railways.
Mr.. Dockery was then in DIR. RoyS- |
ter's office. Excited people stood about
and discussed the shooting. A hun
dred rumors filled the air. Suddenly. !
whisper went through the crowd, 'he |
is dying" This was occasioned by
Messrs. I. c. Fuller and Stcnographer |
Boyd hurrying to the room where the |
wounded man lay for the purpose OF /
taking his ante-mortem statement. |
Later Mr.. Dockery was removed from. |
the building on a stretcher and taken
to Rex Hospital. where he now lies.
The statement was not given out |
Lawyers love silence. | have gathered |
the following of it's substance, how
ever
Mr.. Dockery stated under fear of
death that he had come to Raleigh
70 try to settle matters at difference
between himself and the Rogerses and
Howells. He did not otherwise refer
10 the circumstances leading up to
the shooting. He stated that he had
an engagement with Mr.. Clarence
Howell TO go to Mr.. Pou's office and
talk the matter over. As he was
mounting the steps he saw Policeman
Rogers at the top. He was in four
feet OF him. MIR. Rogers drew his
pistol and commenced to shoot. lie
was struck and fell backwards down
the steps. When he lay on the land
ing. he drew his pistol and fred
In effect this is the ante moItent
statement of Mr.. Dockery, which could