The San Francisco call., 1909-12-01
Turns BURGLAR
IN EFFORT TO
HIDE POVERTY
Graduate of Ann Arb0r and
Member Of Prominent Family
Caught at Crime
Cablegram From Wealthy Wife
Drives Him to Desperation
to Obtain Money

&fa4uaie, MEMBER OF prominent ana
wealthy family in the east. and hus-
band OF woman Of aristocratic New
York connections who is now winter
ing in Egypt was found yesterday
morning shortly after ? o'clock operat-
5ng behind the locked doors of the La
cey saloon. $40 Market street. He was
. equipped with a complete set of cracks
mans tools. including a brace and bit.
four diamond point drills, flask of
black powder. a jimmy and a new re-
volver. He was placed under arrest at
the point OF a gun, after he had showed
dght. and booked at the city prison on
q charge Of burglary.
Rogers. when known as Jimmy"
Rogers in Seattle seven years ago, was
the proprietor Of a wholesale liquor
y ouse and Of the our House" cafe He
was then worth all Of 100000. When
captured yesterday he had not cent
His poverty and his effort TO hide his
condition from his relatives, the police
believe. drove him to crime.
CABLEGRAM FROM WIFE
Mrs. Rogers recently cabled to her
husband al the Won Dorm hotel where
Die was staying a year ago, that she
was returning from Europe and would
meet him in the east Rogers went
from his lodgings south Of Market
street. called at the hotel, received the
message, and. desperate, decided to
utilize the tools Of crime a former
roommate in the 20 cent lodging house
lad left there 10 get money enough TO
rej0in his wife. His clumsy efforts
landed him in jail. and il is melan-
ch0ly jest with the prisoner himself
that armed with a complete kit TO cut
through steel and shatter double proof
doors. he broke into q saloon that does
not hold a safe. All he could have
cracked was a bottle Of whisky.
The prisoner has a mother and sister
in Rochester. \. Y, his father, retired
Businessman. having died recently. His
wife he met in Paris while touring
Europe in 1903. and they eloped TO San
Sebastian, Spain, and there were mar
ried.
FORMER VISIT TO CITY
Mrs. Rogers is accustomed to the
luKuries OF wealth. and the marriage
proved . heavy expense 10 the husband.
lie was in san Francisco with his wife
in I9j4. when they We're at the St
Francis for a month. Then Mrs ROg-
ers went back 10 Europe. her favorite
place. where she had been educated.
and Rogers went 10 Alaska to engage
in the promotion of a number of mines
I which he had acquired an interest
n rLuch of his fortune was sunk there,
and he came back 10 Seattle and drifted
- san Francisco. almost at the end Of
his rope. lie lived for a year in state
al the Non Dorm, changing his costume
four or five times a day, living off the
f= Fo nd
France. or wherever she might be, and
from money sent by his family. They
believed him but temporarily embar-
rassed by the financial depression
Special Policeman Edward d. Muir
ply. with Policeman z. @. Mcdonnell
and Charles Brown, saw Rogers in the
saloon. entered and arrested him. Rog-
ers covered them with his revolver, but
lowered it when he saw he was hope
lessly outnumbered. He had entered
the place through the skylight.
DRIVEN TO DESPERATION
william .Forman, now in the asses
sor's Office here. was employed by Rog-
ers in his Seattle cafe. FOrman read
Of Rogers plight yesterday afternoon
and called upon him. The city en-
plOye stated that the cafe was sold in
u 902, when Rogers started for Europe.
Rogers about 1895 was also the pro-
prietor Of The Spokane" cafe in Los
Angeles.
i can't explain my situation very
well" Rogers said yesterday afternoon,
''as I was caught in there with those
things on me. ] mean that l can't ex-
plain its satisfactorily TO the police. 1t
was a fool thing for me to do and !
never would have done anything Of the
kind had I not been broke and not in
my right mind. because of spree I had
been on. Then I was worrying over the
fact that 1 could not so back east and
see my wife. That Is what decided me
10 take a chance 10 make some money.
After leaving the Won Dorm hotel I
went TO Los Angeles and there worked
during the last year for a man who is
agent for brand Of whisky The
brand is not well known and things did
not prosper. I came back here broke
and lived for while on the allowances
sent me and the hope of making a
strike some way or other That has
been my life for the last few years,
y aiting for something TO turn up and
living as well as ] could on money sent
me by my folks in the east.
CRACKsMAN HIS ROOM MATE
Finally I got into that cheap place
down on Sixth street near Bryant
place where the walls are just par
fitfons that do not reach TO the ceiling.
The man with whom I was delegated by
the landlord TO room was q professional
cracksman, ] guess. He had these
tools and used TO tell me how easy 1t
was 10 make money by cracking safes
sand how to work the tools and get into
stores He talked about il by the hour,
but I wouldn't join him. Finally, one
night he did not come home, and what
became OF him I do not know. Per-
haps he was arrested or perhaps he
went out Of town.
After a while / moved up to Al
Sixth street, where / have lived for
two weeks. ! brought my former room
mates valise along and on opening it
found all the tools. Then / played the
races for a while with the money I
had left, trying TO make a stake, for
nv wife had notified me from Vienna
that she was coming back TO the United
States and wanted me 10 join her in
the east. At last I took the plunge
loaded myself UP with these things and
got into the saloon didn't know any
more about doing the job than a baby,
and that's why was caught so easily"
As he stood in Judge Shortal's court
room Rogers was recognized by ]. J.
Crawford manager of the Won Dorm
hotel. yesterday morning. When the
police examined his effects at Al Sixth