Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1905-02-09

OF n trcc standing only IL lew rect OFT
Stafford street. On it was pinned note
saying that tho owner of the hat was
tired of life and would drown himself.
That same day Mary Rogers called on
Deputy Sheriff Nash and told him that
she feared her husband had drowned him
self. She wanted Mr.. Nash to call out
the fire department and make o search.
She said her husband had visited her
Tuesday but that they had quarrcled and
when he left he had thrown his lifo in
surancc policy into her lap and declared
he would drown himself Neither the
note on the hat nor her statements were
taken seriously
HOW MURDER WAS DISCOVERED.
Thursday morning. however, =. l.. jew
ctt who had heard the stories. started on
u little search and found the body Of
Marcus Rogers lying face downward In
the Walloomssc river where the water
was about L. inches deep and only a few
rods from whore Stafford street crosses
the river. There was no outward sign
Of foul play except ono slight brusc on
| the head and the suicide theory was in
stantly accepted. In fact the body came
near being buried without further inves-
LEGATION.
tol bonrd OF selcctmon, however noted
| that the handwriting of the note appear
Cd to be That % a woman and demanded
All autopsy. Tho autopsy showed that the
man died from lho effects Of an anaes-
thetic and was dead when the body was
placed III the water. T. was evident that
: Il murder had been committed and an in
vcstisation vase Immediately commenced.
\ 10 tipA e,
room with u family nanod pcrham, living
on GroNc sic"i, and that h'r principal
associate Was It youus woman OF question.
able character known as Stella Bates
The 'wo had various male friends bat
were most intimate ,yjtn Morris Knapp
a. militia man of a.. .pany *. V. y. c..
and Leon and Lew icrham, two young
mon Of tie family whore Mrs. Rogers
boarded. hnapp wa away that wcol, at
,ondins the ANIMAL muster Il. Fort Ethan
Alien ht tn" o,h,r ;our were arrested
ana questioned closcir.
FIRST Glue o' EVIDENCE.
Nothing was learned from the women
aud the hrsi cl.ie o.''c from Levi Per-
ham. WHO s.ud he know nothing about II
himself hat that tho others did, he
thought u+ Mrs. Rogers had once ap-
preached Inn and frrd 10 nire nm to
murder hey husband Leon Porham was
then called into thu .wcat-boX and after
being Qucsiion five minutes broke down
ard told ~" whole story, lie is only
labout half-wttc1 bu' told a straightfor-
ward story and aitorWard repeated it on
the witness stand II was his testimony
that convicted Mrs. Rogers. corrohOratcd
As il was by crcumstantial evidence.
According to Icon P'Iham's sto y. Mrs.
Rogers was completely infatuated with
Morris Knapp and wanted To marry him.
Her husband carried life insurance
policy Tor $5on payabo TO her and she
thought that With her husband dead she
could marry knapp n.d tho 500 would
sct them UP IN housck'epne. She first APP
preached Levi Perham to get him to help
her but he d"cuod md then she coaNcd
Leon to assist. loius.ns him 500 Of the
insurance monoN.
, Her next move WAS go uVcisl" her hus-
band to Bennington. holding out 10 him
, the hope that sh" would return with him
to Hoosick To- live. tie came In BcnninS'
ton on Monday August II, and paid the
promiunl on His Insurance policy and
came back the st day on his wiie's In
. vi,ation to tulk ovor arrangements foi
her moving hoy thlne.