The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1914-07-28

heard the woman screaming, she w;
saying: "Oh, Mr.. Phillips, let me il
Jack, did they get your On bein
asked who shot Rogan, Templeton sait
HE grabbed at my wife and / she
him." The Templetons could easil
have seen any one at the barns, espe
tally if fiashlight was used by thos
walking around.
Mrs. Shedaker corroborated her hus
band and said that Mrs. Templeton ha
said she thought she was being shot al
Mrs. Shisler only knew what Mrs
Templeton had told her. She had see
man on neighboring step.
Mrs. Rinear, who lives next to tn
Templeton home, said she was sittin
in her parlor, with the screen in the win
dows and the shades down. The hea
had made it impossible forth to sleep Vi
stairs SO she came down to the parloI
Her attention was first attracted by thu
sound of some one coming off Tenn
pleton's porch, screaming. Then sh
heard shot and another scream. Mrs
Rinear was positive that the first scream
was before the party making the sounC
had left the Templeton porch.
Wesley Anderson saw Hogan on the
ground, Templeton standing near with
gun and saying he did not mean to dc
it. In the testimony of Templeton anC
his wife, to be read later, it will be no
ticed they said that Rogan did not have
on his policeman's cap. Anderson
said he found the cap ten feet away from
where the body was, but Mr.. Phillips
had said that when he saw Rogan tn,
latter was lying with the back of hi
head in his cap.
No ri oh Ir.r cofr
there was loud knocking at door and
she heard some one screaming anC
heard woman, whom she afterwarC
Phillips, let me in; Jack, did they gel
your"
Mrs. Silpath heard a scream and jump
ed from her bed, and at that moment q
gun was discharged. She saw woman
running and she called: Come over
here" The woman answered: 81 am
afraid they will shoot me. There were
two men under Phillips shed and
| thought they were robbers. There
has been a man shot" Mrs. Silpath
went down stairs and found the woman
to be Mrs. Templeton, who was greatly
agitated, and Mrs. Silpath did all IN heI
power to soothe the woman.
Prosecutor Atkinson told her she was
not Obliged to testify and that if she
spoke it must be of her own free will.
Mr.. Peacock said he had advised Mrs.
to testify and she also said she
wished to tell all she knew. She then
proceeded with her story. She was
awakened about two o'clock Wednesday
by hearing some one walking
n nd tho flVy
trying to avoid being heard. She looked
out Of her window and saw two men
who were whispering. She tried to hear
what they were saying but was not sue
cessful. One OF them pointed toward
the store OF Mr.. Phillips, and then she
saw them going through Shedaker' S
alley in the direction of the barn. She
saw the flash of light, and fearing rob-
berry and fire, she called her husband
and asked him to go and arouse Mr.
Mr.. Templeton would not do
so. He said he did not have a revolver
and the men might jump on him. She
said she would go herself but the men
might shoot her. ''rell them you are
going for a DOCTOR" said her husband.
She became so worked up over the affair
that she finally decided to call Mr.. Phil
lips and her husband said he would
stand in the door with his gun, ready to
protect her. AS she started out she heard
i shuffiing on Mr.. Shisler's porch and
saw man who called, "Hi there, where
are you going?" This frightened her and
she screamed and then she heard a shot
and thought it was intended for her.
Later she was told that Rogan had been
shot. The policeman did not have any
hat on when he called to her. She did
not know until she returned home that
her husband had done the deed. She
explained her exclamation, Jack, did
they get you," by saying Jack" was
nickname she had given her husband.
Whit ED Templeton was then called
and Prosecutor Atkinson gave the legal
that whatever the man might
say could be used against him and that
his statements must be voluntary. Tenn
pleton replied that he thoroughly under
stood the situation and wished to tell all
he knew. He repeated his wife's testi-
mony, adding that he had tried to per-
suade her not to go out. If there was
fire they would soon see it, and if there
were burglars around they might hurt
her. 1t was none of her affair, anyhow,
but she could not be made to see it that
way, so he agreed to stand in the door
with a gun and defend her if necessary
AS his wife passed a porch he saw man
lump toward her He made motion as
if attempting to get pistol or possibly
his fiashlight, and at the same time
made grab at his wife. Templeton
called: Don't touch that woman" and
then fred. He could not say whether
he put the gun to his shoulder or whether
he fired at random. Rogan was not on
the pavement when the shot was fired,
but was on a porch on level with Tenn
pleton. The latter said the officer did
not have cap on. 1t was dark and he
could not recognize Rogan, but he could
tell that the latter was without his cap.
said the gun had been loaded
ever since thelast cunning season. There
were some loose shells lying around and
he had put those into his pocket.
This concluded the testimony and
Prosecutor Atkinson addressed the jury.
He explained their duty to them and
told them they had nothing to do with
fixing the degree of the crime. He call
ed attention to a single fact in Temple
on's statement which he thought shout
be noticed, and that was that Rogan was
not on the pavement when the shot was
fired, but was on porch on a level with
the shooter not ten feet distant.
Mr.. Peacock was asked if he desired tC
make statement and he replied in the
negative. The jurors then retired. They
remained in deliberation for over two
hours, finally returning the following
verdict:
1--WE find Thomas Rogan came to his
death on the morning of July %, while
in the performance Of his duty as a police
officer, from a gunshot wound at thu
hands of Winfield Templeton, while the
said Templeton was laboring under thu
impression that he was protecting hi
neighbor from burglars and his wife
from bodily harm at said burglars
hands.
"While we eXonerate Templeton from
criminal intent or liability, we condemn
his hasty action, which resulted in tn
death of good and faithful officer"
Immediately after the verdict ha'
been rendered Mayor Mount held TEN
pleton for his appearance awaiting tn
action of the grand jury, fixing the bal
at $500, which was Immediately furnish
ed. This whole affair appears to have bee
the result of excitement and overwrough
nerves. There have been numerous rot
cries and some fires in the city of Bul
lington and they have been the topic {
conversation. The testimony OF CaI
tain Shumard shows that there ha
been rumors Of suspicious persons in tn
neighborhood of the shooting and thes
stories had been deemed of sufficien
importance to put on the beat police
man who had not been in the habit {
covering that territory. The talk betwee
the dead man and policeman Fit
Patrick and the fact that Rogan though
the Shedaker barn was on fire, Shove
that Rogan was suspicious that all ws
not we'll. There is nothing to show tbs
MrS T,an,DIetor knew of these pircun