The morning journal-courier. (New Haven, Conn.) 1907-1913, 1908-09-01
Companion Of Roberts in
Boardwalk Shooting Says
Affair Has Been Much
Distorted.
SIMPLE CASE OF ROBBERY
Explains Why Chatclainc Bag Was
Not Stolen--Iittlc Chance of
Securing Statement from
Roberts.

Baltimore, Md, Aug. 31.-1Seated to
day In the drawing room of her hom'
at Long Green, Baltimore county, Mrs
w. S. G Williams in the presence o
her sister, Mrs Sherlock Swami. wifi,
of the president Of the police board
described in detail the shooting o
Charles B. Roberts. jr, who wa'
wounded on Wednesday night on the
board walk at Atlantic City While r
her company. Mrs Williams discussed
the affair with the utmost candor
1T was an attempt at robbery, pure
and simple" she declared. "and MIR
Roberts was shot because he refused
to comply with the demands of the
man in the mask who had ordered him
to give up his money.
Words have been put In my mouth
about this sad affair that never
to me that never had. The whole
thing has been distorted and greatly
exaggerated.
when the shooting occurred had
left my little daughter at the II to
Brighton not more than twenty min
utes before Mr. Roberts was goino
along With me IN the rolling chair We
got to a place where the boarding was
rough and the chair bounced a good
deal suggested that we turn back
The chair was covered one, and Mr.
Roberts raped on the glass and told
the negro chair man 10 turn around
Jus. as he did so the chair stopped, and
masked man thrust pistol into the
chair. having FIRST opened the window
Oh the ocean side and ordered us to ge,
out.
II was seated on the side of the
chair toward the ocean and without a
word got ont and held up both hands
Mr.. Roberts followed me and as soon
as he could emerge from the chair the
man told him to give up his money. |
had little chatelaine bag attached 10
my wrist, but the man made no ef-
fort 10 get this
when ordered to give up his mon
ey Mr.. Roberts declared that he would
do nothing Of the kind. and started af-
ter the man. Mr. Roberts was much
taller than the man who held us up.
The latter, who wore mask of some
dark grayish material that came to his
= chin was small and emacated |
should say he could not have been
more than Ave feet seven inches tail.
He wore the toughest kind Of clothing.
and, judging from his appearance,
though of course neither of us could
see his face he looked like a tramp.
Il was scared. and begged Mr.. Rob-
erts to give the man what money he
had, but Mr. Roberts instead rushed at
the man, who was covering him with
a pistol and stood few PAGES off Ae
Mr Roberts started forward. the man
fred two shots in ALL one of them TAX
ing effect. At the moment did not
know that Mr., Roberts was shot. and
doubt If he realized 1t. Although struck
by one Of the bullets he kept on toward
the man without pausing, and the viii
lain ran and escaped In the darkness" "
Did either you or Mr.. Roberts re-
cognlze the voice of his assailant?"
Mrs. williams was asked
She replied In an indignant mega
tive: IF it had been any one whom we
knew well' she said "do you not think
We would have recognized the voice at
once? If 1t had been my husband, as
they have tried to insinuate or nv
brother, 1t would have been impossl-
BILE for either to have disguised his
al tt,o. ?
would not recognize It. My husband
as has now been proven, was here at
Long Green, and my brother. Tom De
Ford was In Chicago on business trip.
The names of other men-frlends Of
mine and of my husband. have been
dragged into this, and very unjustly.
Surely there was nothing unusual in
my being on the board walk with Mr.
Roberts at that early hour Of the eve
ming
Things have been written, and read
IN this episode that are cruel and
frightfully unjust had scarcely got
back to my hotel that night when a
detective of the Atlantic City force
started to interview me- and we had
not spoken together a minute when he
asked, Where Is your husband?' Right
then and there I realized what his at
titude was and about what his theorv
would be. Utterly ignoring the fact
that robbery had been attempted and
that Mr. Roberts had been shot down
by hold-up man. the police of Allan
tic City went to work trying to sub
stantiate and prove a wicked theory
that had no basis In fact. From that
time OH their course has been the
samealways seeking to find hidden
motive instead of the real ono which
they obstinately ignored.
THE incident OF the chatelaine bag
on my arm has been greatly exagger-
ated The detective said, why, If they
had taken that, ] would believe you
had been robbed But the man who
was intent on robbing Mr.. Roberts
though he had drawn pistol In his
hand, could not afford to pay any at
tention to me when Mr.. Roberts him
self, who Is very large man, ad-
vanced to attack him. He fred twice
but that did not check Mr.. Roberts
and seeing him still approaching, the
coward turned and ran away"
ut was said that we had 4ndeavor-
ed to suppress the facts concerning
the shooting of Mr. Roberts There
Ia nothing about the whole affair to be
concealed. An attempt was made 10
hold up Mi Roberts and in resisting