The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1912-08-24
BRITAIN clusuEs OLD TRADER
AMERICAN ELEPHANT POACHER
SHOT DOWN IN AFRICA.
Hunted Down by Hand Of English
Soldiers. who are Instructed to
Capture Him Dead or Alive, James
Ward Rogers Has His Career
brought To Violent End, After
Having Dcfied All Authority for
Ncar~-A Most Dramatic Tale Of
British Colonial Annals.

British soldiers In the depths OF the
tungies OF Central Africaa, where for
years In defiance OF all authority he
had pursued the career OF an elephant
poacher and Illicit ivory trader James
Ward Rogers. an American, Is dead.
He was shot down by little force os
troops which had been sent into the
wilderness In pursuit with orders not
to return without the outlaw dead or
alive.
News OF Rogers death came for
maily today to the British colonial
once from Capt. c. v. Fox. inspector
Of Mongahall province. who COM
manded the expedition. Although
told In an official report. the story re-
vealed is one of most dramatic In
colonial annals.
For years Rogers had carried on
his lawless trade. which popular opin-
ION credited with netting him a for
tune. The remote regions along the
Lado Enclave and Congo boundaries
were the scenes Of his operations
Time after time British officials of the
soudan had tried In vain to trap him.
IL was this defiance OF years which
determined the Government TO crush
the old man.
Capt. Fox's report shows that In his
long operations Rogers had done
more than had been dreamed of by
the colonial officers. He had estab-
1ished an organized administration n
over the wild trackless country and
among the natives was virtual. II
uncrowned. king.
The success of the outlaw In hand
ling his subjects and In the pur-
suit OF his trade drew from Capt Fox.
In his report. the tribute that Rog-
ers' work was worthy Of better
cause. Not since the explorer. Henry
, NJ. Stanley. pierced In the jungles In
, 1871 and found DIR. Livingstone, has
such a tale Of hardships. trials and
dangers come out Of Africa. Capt.
Fox's report In this respect. resem-
bleS most nearly perhaps the Gale OF
Gen. Funston's dogged pursuit of
Asuinaldo In the philippines.
For the purI yse OF tracking the
OUTLAW ths English commander was
given a non-commissioned subordinate
and six soudanese soldiers. Body
carriers and mules for the transpor-
tation Of supplies were part OF his
4 equipments. His instructions were
piain--not to return until the outlaw
was captured.
With a soldiers disregard for red
tape. Capt. Fox. In his report. fails to
mention dates In describing the man.
hunt. Apparently the denouement
OF the jungle drama came three
months ago.
The pursuers then had spent weeks
plungins through the Jungle that al
most defied passage. Rogers cunning
ly leading them through the densest
OF swamps forests and across deep
4 streams. Before the outlaw was over
taken he had crossed the Nile into the
Belgian Congo.
Creeping up the Uganda bank of the
Nile the expedition pushed forward
for six weeks before the quarry was
located. Fox and his men had then
worn their clothes TO tatters and their
supplies were exhausted. leaving them
facing starvation In the wilderness.
The last twelve hours ofthe pursuit
was particularly trying. The chase
led over a mountain with Rogers men
only a short distance In advance. AS
Ley fed. the ape-like natives of the
outlaw sent back taunts and jeer at
their pursuers.
Dramatic In the extreme Is Capt.
Fox's description OF the death of Rog-
ers. In the jungle into which they
had descended from the mountain his
party came suddenly upon a camp. A
! native approached the English ofii-
Ger and said;
The commander wants you To
come In. lie Is sick and cannot come
out"
Entering the hut Capt. Fox found
himself In a room dimly lighted by a
candle. a white man was lying on q
couch and beside him sat "a compan-
ion. also white. Foo time there was
a dead silence. Capt. Fox believed ne
had been led into a trap. Then he
asked:
which IL Mr.. Rogers"