New-York tribune., 1908-08-29
KIN DEFEND ROBERTS
UILLidMS OFFERS dLIBI.
arrest Expected IN atlantic City
BoardralE Shooting Mystery.
TBy Telegraph 10 The TFieune-1


ulen he was shot on the Boardwalk here says
40 can trvve an alibi- that he not away
-ror, his country place in Maryland on the night
of the shooting, and that he had just returned
from a trip Europe, some of his frelnds
and his wife said. The police here say they are
able 10 show that he had breakfast at the Baiti-
more Club on Wednesday morning, and that lie
r-ss not seen again in Baltimore between 1hat
1ine and Thursday noon An arrest in Baitl-
more is expected, however. within few days
The wounded man is still in serious eondl-
-ian the City Hospital His condition Is con-
sdered dangerous, and the physicians viii not
,,ohe for the bullet his liver until his condi-
r;on improves They fear that to operate upon
him now might prove fatal
Mrs Roberts, wife OF the injured man, came
here today, and has taken rooms at the fotei
: .-bt,n, where Mrs Williams is staying She
wanted 70 see her husband, but the doctors and
tho r,olicA have refused permit him 10 be dis
1url,ed His condition has not changed. and
there is some doubt as TO the result OF the shoot
: ing afray.
According to The police, the chair pusher has
ssid that Roberts-s assailant was not masked.
BROTHER TELLS OF ATTEMPT TO ROB
yoh,, Roberts and Charles Stewart. bTother
and brother-in-laW- respectively. or the man
zbo Was shot arrived here yesterday John
attempted to mold him up That when ne de-
handed money Mrs Williams offered her purse,
h,. .ba, he had stopped out of the roller chalF
and vas going to grapple with the man When
the latter shot Even then he did not STOP anu
.he robbnr fearing he would be caush', even
though he had injured his intended victim, took
20 his heels and away.
Roberts saws his brother then directed the
chair pusher 20 call ambulance and nave
him taken % the city hospital Instead ne says
Mrs. williams got out of the chair. and eaileo
sn automobile and took him TO the hospital,
Charles Stewart said: "Why. the whole thing
, ,s az simple as can be II was merely an at
rz,spred robbery From what l can learn MI
Roberts was asked TO step out OF the chair, and
before he could make a move he was shot down
At the time in the excitement and suffering
severely he could give only brief explanation
and this was verified b. Mrs. Williams
AS for there being anything clandestfne in
the meetings of Mr. Roberts and Mrs. Williams
none of us believe If Until Tuesday MT. Rob-
erts cid not even know he coming here,
He always stopped at the Brighton and since
Mrs Williams MAS here il was only natural that
he should meet her He Invited Mrs. Williams
and her daughter TO dine with him at the Shell
bourne Then he asked her TO take ride with
him in a rolling chair.
Mr. Roberts and Mrs. Williams have known
each other for years, There was absolutely
nothing in their going out together, but they
Just happened 10 be victims Of a highwayman"
POLICE WORK ON DIFFERENT THEORY.
Chief Woodruff of the Police Department
laughed when told what John Roberts had said.
and added:
Let them go ahead and make statements
until they are black in the face But when we
get ready we will have something to say that
viii rather surprise Them
The police saw men who go in for highway
robbery do not take the trouble to dress in the
height of fashion and gray felt masks nor
tie bandanna handkerchiefs about their necks
Further than that, there were darker and much
more favorable spots for robbery than that at
which the shooting occurred
The man who did tile shooting, the police say,
stopped the rolling chair, pulled down the rubber
curtain which shielded the faces Of the occu-
pants ind when satisfied to their identity or
dered Roberts TO get out. 1t was when he got
out that the shooting occurred. According to
tire police Williams called his wife on the long
distance telephone on Wednesday morning and
demanded that she leave at once for home.
MRS. wILLIAMsS STATEMENT.
Mrs Williams who has kept to her room at
the hotel since the shooting, not even going to
the dining room for her meals, made this state
nent TO the police to-day:
n wss about 40 O'Clock on Wednesday night
when Mr. Roberts. who is an old friend of the
family, and myself left the hotel in roller
chair.
when we reached Rhode Island avenue
suggested that we should turn around and go
hack TO the hotel Mr.. Roberts had just told
the attendant 10 turn around. when the door of
the Vestibule chair in which We were riding
Was ierked open and masked man confronted
Us He pointed a revolver in our faces ana
commanded Us to hold up = our hands s and de- e.
meet the demand and started TO get out Of the
chair
When Mr.. Roberts got out Of the chair the
man fired his revolver and ran away Mr. Rob-
erts said: I'm shot"
By this time the attendant had called po-
ncenaa. The policeman called for an arnbu-
lance and we went TO a nearby hotel 10 wait.
a physician took Mr.. Roberts In charge put him
in an automobile and carried him TO the hos
pital. Two gentlemen then took me bcak to the
Brighton Hotel, where arrived at 1880 o'clock
The shooting took place about 10:15 o'clock
THINK ROBERTS COULD TELL MORE.
The police believe that Roberts knows who
Gid the shooting. but thus far they have not
been able to make him divulge the iden-
tity OF his assailant- There is strong fntima-
ton fha, the person who did the shooting cs-
caped in an automobile which was standing near
the beach, at the foot of Rhode Island avenue,
just little white prior to the shooting.
Chief OF Police Woodruff tonight said that his
men have some ciewr which they are following,
and believe that at least one OF them VIII work
out to the positive Identification of the man
who fired the shots which may prove fatai 70
Roberts.
The local authorities have sent their best oe-
tective to Baltimore to look after tiaae eho "
the shooting They promise some uniooAeo Aoi
Developments within forty-eight hours
johnson, the pusher OF the chair occupied py
Roberts and Mrs Williams, is stin held by the
notice as +. witness and is denied to everybody.