Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1911-04-12

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cured some rooms for him and his
wife and supplied them with $16
worth of groceries. Virgins told the
officers that he and his wife returned
to the house on March 81, after the
child had been restored to his parents
upon the payment Of $4,000 to the
kidnapers. There they found the
trousers and mask worn by the mask
ed man who entered the Rogers
home at midnight Thursday morning
and took the child from the arms of
his mother They also found the
clothing given the intruders by Mrs.
Rogers so that her boy might have
clean and warm apparel.
Virgins told the officers that ne
and his wife had thrown these articles
into an clubhouse. True to his story,
the things We're found after a search
by the officers. In spite of the Wig
gins story that he and his wife had
nc further participation in the crime
then to rent young Rogers the house,
the officers believe they are both ac-
lively connected with the crime. Re-
fusal of the Rogers boys to pay Wig
gins his share Of the $4,000 is be.
lieved to be the cause for Virgins
Willingness to confess. Virgins says
hat
after the successful issue of kidnaD-
ing plot imploring him to burn up all
letters that had been sent to Virgins
by Rogers. Later John and Will Rog-
ers rode to his home in an automobile
and Will asked him to keep silence
and destroy all evidence of the crime
by moving about the furniture in the
room so that it might not be recog-
nized by the child, at least. so said
Virgins. John remained outside and
knew nothing of Wills mission.
Rogers Confesses.
During the night, Will Rogers, con-
fronted with the Virgins story, also
confessed, although his story differed
somewhat from the Virgins tale.
Will is only q years of age and late
ly had been employed by the Aqua
Pura Water company. John Rogers,
who is 80 years of age, and was
stenographer in the office of A. T.
Rogers, the attorney and father of the
kidnapped child, insisted upon his in
nocence and has fully established
it. The aged parents of the
Rogers boys are prostrated with grief,
for while the money was hidden in the
chimney of their home, they had no
knowledge of the crime.
Will Rogers is said to have been
given the first impulse for the crime
by reading a detective story called
Silent War
Child Gave the Clue.
Captain Fornoff came to Santa Fe
on last Saturday. He came to get a
picture of Virgins. When he return
ed to Las Vegas he took the picture
to the home of Mr.. and Mrs. A. T.
Rogers and showed it to the child,
who at once manifested his pleasure
and clasped the picture to his heart,
saying: That's my friend, L love
him."
That settled it for Virgins. Fornoff
made dash for his place. In the
afternoon the prisoner was confronted
with the child who at once recognized
the ex-convict, climbed into his lap
and patted his cheek.
Hello, Mr.. Friend" the child pratt
tied. I'VE had some good times didn't
We? love oo!"
Virgins saw the jig was up and
confessed. The arrest of Will Rogers
followed.
Suspected From the Start.
AS intimated in the New Mexican,
two days after the kidnapping, Will
Rogers had been suspected from the
start. The New Mexican could not
tell, but it knew that it had been dis
covered that a screen door in the
Rogers home had been cut from the
inside; that the telephone wires had
peeH disconnected from the inside,
that the intruder had keys to the
uoors, that he was strangely confident
Oh MS ground and calmly waited As
minutes while the mother dressed the
child and, with one subterfuge after
another dragged out the time in the
vain hope that help might come. that
detective named Wells had accom-
panied Will Rogers almost to the
point where the money was paid over