Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1905-08-31
DENIAL BY YOUNG HARPlN
Says He Had No Part in the Roger,
Scnndal-Man Did Not Get into
Her Cell until After He Left.

Her Cell until After He Left,
Boston. Aug. 27.--1farold Harpin, SON OF
Edward u. Harpin, ex-warden of the Yer.
mont State prison at Windsor and him.
self former guard in the prison. is now
cashier in the cafe of n Boston hotel and
has been there a number of weeks.
Young Harpin. was deeply panied yes.
terday at the charges made against him.
He was seen at his place OF employment
by n reporter, and said: ut is absolutely
and unqunlficdly false that had any
part in this Rogers business. never
knew anything about 1t until after was
out of the prison. There never was a
charge against me while was a guard
there. MY father was discharged, as
everybody knows, because Cakes, the for
mer superintendent got down on him.
was discharged the same night that my
father got through. solely for the reason
that ! was his son. There was nothing
else against me. ! am here. working in
Boston alone but II my father were here,
or / had some one to advise me / might
say good deal more. ] can say, though.
in all honor, that the statement that
naO any part III SECURING IL Key Ut kncW
at the time that Vernon Rogers or any
other man had access to Mary Rogers
cell, is le."
Harold Harpn said that he never was
employed in the part of the prison where
Mrs. Rogers was confined prior to the first
date set for her execution, which was last
winter. and that he not only had no COM
munication with her. but that he had no
opportunity Of communicating with her
MISS DURKEE HAD ONLY KEYS.
Speaking on this phase of the matter he
said: MARY Rogers's death watch was
removed when she got her stay last VIM
ter. but she was not taken from the west
wing. was a guard at the prison then.
but over the men convicts. After the death
watch was taken off Mrs. Rogers was al
lowed the run of the west wing corridor
during the day. but at night was locked
in the corner cell. No officer was kept in
the west wing in the day. but Vernon
Rogers. who is n trusty,' worked UNI
guarded around the west wing cell block,
but was shut out from Mrs. Rogers by
double wooden doors in two places. on
the north and on the south ends.
"rhese double doors were heavy wooden
ones, with ordinary locks. the keys to
which were carried by Miss Durkee. tina
matron, who took Mrs. Rogers's meals to
her. Miss Durkee had to unlock the outer
door and open it before she could unlock
the inner door to go to the condemned
woman.
my father and myself have evidence
which We can produce at any time that.
while Vernon Rogers did get in where Mrs
Rogers was, he never did so until full
week after both my father and had been
discharged. and we can prove exactly how
it came about.
ROGERS HAD WIRE KEY.
1.-The way it happened was this: Mrs
Rogers had pair OF scissors WIN
which she worked at the lock on one
of the inside doors until she was able
10 unfasten it and then she opened that
door and when she heard Vernon Rogers
working around in the hallway outside
she raped on the door until he came
to it 20 see what was the matter and
she talked to him through the keyhole
and told him IL he could make key
that would unlock the outside door she
would like to have him come in and see
her. Vernon Rogers said at first he
didn't think he could get key and
Mary explained to him how she had
been able to get her lock open by the
use Of a pair Of scissors and told him
to twist up heavy piece of wire and
he could work the lock.
vernon Rogers got the wire and
made crude key. but one which
worked. and at time Of day when
ne knew Miss Durkee wouldn't be
~
Rogers opened tho door on her side and
the trusty and the condemned woman
were together. This lasted about two
weeks and then. being discovered. Mrs.
Rogers was removed to safer quarters
In the central building and Vernon Rog-
ers was locked up.
ROGERS HAD NO ACCOMPLICE.
| ing been helped by someone to make
his wire key. and was urged to tell
who II was. but he stuck strictly to
his original story that he made the key
himself, and that no one in the world
but he and Mary Rogers knew he had
it, until he was caught and then never
have got any other story out of him,
and they won't because that Is the
| trutn. Inty ktpt vernon Rogers IN u
cell about four weeks. and finding he
wouldn't implicate anyone else because
he couldn't. they put him back at his
work around the halls. as he had been
doing before he was caught in Mrs.
Rogers's company.
| "You must remember that the first
time Vernon Rogers ever got into the
west wing where Mary Rogers was,
was n week or more after my father
and myself had left the prison. and
| neither OF us were ever inside the
building after that, SO ! could by no
possibility have had anything to do
with 1t.
| Living In Windsor and having
friends still among the employees In the
prison. as we have. my father and l
heard tho story OF the meeting In Mrs.
Rogers's quarters as soon as they were
discovered. and we got them right.
and can prove that ! never knew the
FIRST thing about the matter until after
the exposure came ana 1t became