The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1913-03-28
cOoXRICHZ By ND CW/4y co.

Well, you're cool one Rogers admitted
grudgingly. DO you know l have you covered
with my Cot?'
Yes but you won't dare to shoot" Fox laughed
quietly.
Wont dare, Why not, I should like to know?
Rogers answered back. Il have over a hundred
armed men outside and you only have four men
with you so my tell me-
Nevertheless. you won't dare shoot me or mo-
lest my You under arrest Mr.. Rogers
for Illicit ivory-poaching, murder, entering a
closed district without permit. and carrying
gun without a license"
so that is what l charged with, is it?'
Rogers smiled grimly. Have you other
charges to prefer
You're wounded now. Let all that rest until
you better.
mo, I'm dying man, l guess. Do you know
you're in the Belgian territory, that you are sur
rounded by my men, and that you stand mors
chance of arrest than l do?"
You are mistaken l not in Belgian terri
tory and we need not discuss the chances of my
arrest"
Captain Fox deemed it wise not to excite the
man any more and silently withdrew from the
room Once outside, he set to work to disarn
the followers of the dying Rogers. This was soon
accomplished, for they were cowed now that
their leader was helpless
In the middle of the night a native servant
came to Captain Fox to say that Rogers was dy-
ing and that he wished to speak to the officer.
The soldiers did not want him to go into the
house again But Captain Fox not to be de-
tered.
AS he entered the house. Rogers turned to his
white companion, saying:
Doctor, / wish you to hear and be witness to
what 1 am going to say to Captain Fox. | sur
render myself voluntarily to the Sudan govern.
ment. | want you to that the doctor gets
into no trouble over this affair captain be.
Heve am dying man. that | am not going
to lie about it. This my show and all my
work. The doctor is blameless."
On the following afternoon the three soldiers
who had been sent ahead arrived at the vii
lage and gave Captain Fox an account of their
experience.
They stated that arriving in the poachers
stronghold Rogers ordered them to give up their
arms He seized his Mauser rifle and opened
fire with it and revolver. His companion the
doctor, also fired on the soldiers with Winches-
ter Others attacked them with Wnchesters and
with arrows. Had it not been almost dark the
soldiers would have been killed and, as it was
they all had escapes, all of them being
hit.
In the fighting, Rogers struck by soldier 8
bullet which lodged near the hip, but he walked
to his house and sat down in chair.
By this time Captain Fox satisfied that he
on Belgian territory and wrote to the Bel.
gian commandant to explain the occurrence, Two
days later the Belgian officer arrived on the scene
with large escort of troops.
The day after the arrival of the Belgians, Rog-
obviously dying, and sent for Fox. He
was conscious to the end and described his symp.
toms.
Say captain, you big fellow and strong.
Lift up more-for the last time" he
muttered. Il shall not be here tomorrow I'm
still pretty heavy, amt II"
Fox leaned over him and gently raised him on
the bed with his under the dying mans
shoulders
I'm sorry, Rogers he said But you brought
this yourself
Il know, old You're all right. | would
rather have surrendered to you than any one.
Goodbye, Doc Good-by, captain Remember, the
doctor is innocent, all my sh--"
His head dropped back his spirit went to
render its last account to it's Maker Gently Fox
laid the body of the poacher the bed and then
turned away to escape the sorrow of the doctor,
who was deeply unstrung by his friends death.
And SO this man died, far away from his friends
and country. Full Of courage and grit to the end,
his fate was worthy Of a better So did the
curtain fall upon the most dramatic tragedy in
the history of the Congo elephant poachers