Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-03-29
DR.. F. B. ROLLER
IS EUL0C|zED
WELL KNOWN WRESTLER Is SUB.
JEcT OF STORY BY E. W.
cOCHRANE.

The recent convicting of the May
bray gang of swindlers at Council
Bluffs, and the Incarceration OF the
gang in Fort Leavenworth penlten-
tiary, has given rise to story by r.
w. Cochrane of the Kansas City Jour-
nal, relative to all effort made at one
Time to brand Dr. B. F. Roller as one
Of the same calibre as Maybray ana
his pals.
Few men," says Cochrane, "who
are crooked in any kind Of sports and
Try to brand others in the same line
rs takers and crooks, seldom meet
with success A little case can be cit
ed in connection with DR.. b. F. Roller
Of Seattle, who wrestled before $4,000
people here Tuesday night. Not ten
people in the house knew how good
Roller felt to be wrestling there on
that night, for behind the cold steel
bars of the Leavenworth federal pris-
on sat two men who had formerly &C
cused DR.. Roller of being faker and
are now serving sentences for being
convicted in Council Bluffs as men,
bers of the now famous Maybray
gang. While those two men we're be-
ing locked UP in the federal prison, Dr.
Roller was wrestling match before a
bowling mob of admirers and he
stands for purity in athletics. Ihou-
sands Of dollars were paid into the
box Office for him that night, while the
men who formerly tried to brand MIN
a faker were eating bread and water
and we're deprived of their freedom.
"The little trouble between Roller
and Marsh and one other member OF
the Maybray gang occurred in Seattle
about year ago. Roller lived in the
northwest city for five years and made
considerable money there, dealing IN
real estate and practicing medicine.
He also did considerable wrestling
and promoted matches. He had been
promoting for some time and making
money when the men sentenced 10
prison the other day gave out stores
to certain newspapers branding Roller
as a faker. other papers, and widely
circulated ones, stood by the physl-
clan. AS result Roller, by square
methods, finally won out and won the
friendship of the best people OF Seat
tie. Considerable publicity was given
the affair at the time, although little
OF it reached this city. Roller proved
his innocence and 1t was but short
time later that Marsh and his pals
were taken to Council Bluffs with
others of the Maybray gang to stand
trial on charge of using the United
States mails to defraud. They were
convicted and the day Of the big
match here they were taken to Leav.
enworth and there locked behind steel
bars. where for a term Of years they
will see nothing but their fellow pris-
oners and will repent for their acts.
"At the hour these men first went to
their hunks and tried to pass their
first night in prison in sleep, DR.. B. F.
Roller was stepping through the ropes
in the big ring in convention nall,
cheered> by 10000 admirers as gal
liant. square athlete. who has always
given the public his best efforts. Aft
er the match talked with Roller
about Marsh and his pals and he was
pleased that the people of his own
city and other cities had learned the
truth of the statements made in Seat
tie last year when he had to put up a
brave fight to keep those prison birds
from damaging his reputation. Jack
Curley, his manager, was a great help
to him at that time in fighting that
crowd"