Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1913-03-28
,[anles Ward Rogers U"{ Ri"s
= The Ta8ebdo fhe Emous Amercankory R6acher -
ce10n1 ~
by E1anaA
cOPXlHIIHT 81 Rz0Eyt<4r co.

well. you're cool one" Rogers admitted
grudgingly "Do you know have you covered
with my Colt?"
yes. but you won't dare to shoot" Fox laughed
quietly a..
.sWon't dare! Why not should like to know!
Rogers answered back Il have over hundred
armed men outside and you only nave TOUT men
with you. so my men tell me-"
Nevertheless you won't dare shoot me OF mo
lest my men You are under arrest. Mr. Rogers
for illicit ivory-poaching murder, entering
closed district without a permit, ana carrying
gun without license.
$50 that is what am charged with, is it,"
Rogers smiled grimly. Have you no otner
charges to prefer? -
you're wounded now. Let all that rest until
mo I'm dying man I guess. Do you know
you're in the Belgian territory, that you are sur
rounded by my men, and that you stand more
chance of arrest than do?
'sYou are mistaken ! am not IN Belgian terrl
tory and we need not discuss the chances OF my
arrest"
Captain Fox deemed 1t wise not to excite the
man any more and silently Withdrew from the
room Once outside, he set to work to dfsarm
the followers of the dying Rogers This was soon
accomplished, for they we're cowed, now that
their leader 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 was not to be de-
TERED.
AS he entered the house, Rogers turned TO MS
white companion saying:
Doctor wish you to hear and be a witness to
what am going to say to Captain Fox sur
render myself voluntarily to the Sudan govern
ment l want you to see that the doctor gets
into no trouble over this affair, captain. / be-
lieye I am dying man, SO that am not going
IT, CHI NV am a
work The doctor is blameless."
On the following afternoon the three soldiers
who had been sent ahead arrived at the vii
1age and gave Captain Fox an account Of their
experience.
They stated that on arriving in the poacher's
stronghold Rogers ordered them to give up their
arms He seized his Mauser rife and opened
fire with it and revolver His companion, the
DOCTOR also fired on the soldiers with Winches-
ter. Others attacked them with Winchesters and
with arrows. Had it not been almost dark, the
soldiers would have been killed and, as 1t was,
they all had narrow escapes all of them being
hit.
In the fighting. Rogers was struck by soldiers
bullet, which lodged near the hip, but he walked
to his house and sat down in chair.
BY this time Captain Fox was satisfied that he
was 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-
ers was 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 once more--for the last time" he
mpttered Il shall not be here tomorrow. I'm
still pretty heavy amt To-
Fox leaned 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 man. You're all right. / would
rather have surrendered to you than any one.
Goodbye, Doc. Good-by, captain. Remember, the
doctor is innocent, al my sh"
His head dropped back as his spirit went to
render its last account to its 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 better cause. So did the
curtain fall upon the most dramatic tragedy in
the history of the Congo elephant-poachers