The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-08-25
Negro Professor Charged
With Embracery.
CASE WAS DISMISSED
And the Prosecuting Attorney Directly
Issued Another Warrant, Giving
the Trial Justice Piece of
His Mind. More Trouble
Expected.

]. Shep Rogers a negro school
teacher, who has been an instructor
in the schools of Wake county several
years, was tried by Justice of the Peace
r. G. Reid yesterday for tampering
with a witness in another case against
two other Rogers, nephews of the de-
PENDANT they having been prosecuted
for carrying pistol.
There was dramatic climax in the
case when the justice dismissed it on
Il technical ground. Mr.. B. c. Beck
with, attorney for the prosecution, told
the magistrate that he would never
carry another case before him, for
when he went before a justice he did
not go to get injustice dealt out to him.
Justice Reid Informed Mr.. Beckwith
that he reckoned an attorney could
carry case where he liked. 1t is eX-
pected that there will be several sem
Sational developments in the case, and
one of them was that the moment it
was dismissed by Justice Reid Mr..
Beckwith sent for Justice d, G. Conn
and had two warrants sworn out for
Rogers before him. and in each case
the negro school teacher was put UNI
der a $50 bond. Mr.. Beckwith told
Justice Reid that he would have JUS
tIce, and IN this case he said 1T meant
the conviction of Rogers, even If he
had to give up his case and go on the
stand himself 1t was said that Mr..
Beckwith himself has direct personal
knowledge of the truth of the crime
with which Rogers, in one case, and
Rogers and others in the second case,
are charged
The first warrant charges j. Shep.
Rogers with procuring Bud Mitchell,
a witness in d case which was tried be-
fore w. c. Jones in Bartons Greek
township to absent himself from the
trial, and as an inducement Rogers
paid Mitchell. the prosecution claims,
twenty-five cents in cash. In this case
John Rogers and Pete Rogers, colored,
were charged with carrying pistol.
There is a slight difference between
embracery and what Rogers is charged
with, but the State held that this was
one OF the worst forms of tamperlng
with witnesses.
The case was dismissed by Justice
Reid upon the technical ground that
the State had failed to prove that Bud
Mitchell had been duly subpoenaed.
The evidence however, was clear that
money had been paid and that the
witness did absent himself from the
trial
Mr.. Beckwith, who represented the
prosecution, was Indignant at the dis
missal of the action for the cause as
signed and told Justice Reid that he
would never again try case before
him. Mr.. Beckwith claimed that the
action had been dismissed upon a de-
murrer upon purely technical motion
made by Mr.. S. G.. Ryan, who was re-
tanned by the defendant
Then Mr. Beckwith at once had a
warrant sworn out against Rogers for
the same offense before Justice
Conn. and the case was set for trial
Monday, September 4th, at which time
another charge, growing out of the
same pistol toting case will be heard
against Prof. Rogers for conspiracy
with Bud Mitchell and divers other
ciety to extract money from John
Rogers and Pete Rogers. the
defendants in the pistol toting case.
1t is charged in the warrant that the
conspirators, or Rogers. actually OBJ
tanned from the two defendants IN the
pistol toting case the sum of $94.2O.
1t is said that this sum was to have
been used in procuring witnesses 10
absent themselves from the trial. or
to fix their. evidence so as not to make
out case against the defendants.
This hearing will also take place be-
fore Justice Conn September 4th.
Other Developments.
There have been for some time ru- |
mors afioat that there existed in Wake !
county extortioners who extracted
fear money from negroes who were be- !
ing prosecuted or liable to be prose |
cuted in the courts. Mr.. Beckwith is /
thoroughly incensed, and as he has
been given information concerning /
other instances of this practice, more |
warrants and lively time among col |
ored secret society circles is probable. |
AS he left Magistrate Reid's office yes
terday after the case was dismissed, |
he said '"There is but one way for |
this negro to escape from the roads, |
and that is to persuade the solicitor to
mol pros the case.