Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-10-15


years probably will ind ~ "a
1t difficult to stop call JOSEPH p. ROGERS
ing him "Joe." As "Joe Rogers" he is in
stantly recognized as the Lord High Inquisi-
tor of the famous Glover Club and former
master of hounds at the Chester Valley Hunt
Club. He has an unusually happy faculty
for making friends, and is just the man for
the informal position he holds in the Glover
Club. Tall, powerfully built, genial he is
possessed of the characteristic ready Irish
wit Nearly every Philadelphian who has
had the temerity to speak at the Glover
Club has felt its sting.
An Early Start
The new Judge affords a singularly inter-
esting subject for the student of dual per-
sonality. His club side and his court side
are in sharp contrast. For the last eight
years Mr. Rogers has handled all the big
criminal cases for the Commonwealth in this
city as Assistant District Attorney. No
criminal lawyer in the city likes to face him.
He has been especially successful in muir
der cases. At times, like every successful
prosecutor he has been accused of bulldog"
methods, but even here where the good law
yer forgets everything but the legal points
at issue, he is human. One instance of this
was given in his summing up Of the cele-
brated frost case, in which a woman was
convicted Of murder in the first degree after
a desperate legal battle.
He was born at Tamaqua, Pa, on March
II, 1s76-the Centennial year and St Pat
rick's Day-hence his middle name. His
father laborer. The family came to
this city when "Joe" was years old. After
spending four years, hustling bricks, Joe"
found there were better chances of advance
Nanf aIu NAIN,
on one of John Wanamakers delivery
wagons. A few years of this sufficed. His
next job was clerkship in an Asbury Park
hotel, whence he went to Enterprise, Fla
Perhaps he took his inspiration from the
name of the town. At any rate, he learned
that he needed something besides the
muscles developed in the brickyard to get
along in the world, so he returned to this
city and took course in q business school,
returning later to the hotel business in
Florida. At the age of 20 he was manager
of the Montezuma Hotel in that State.
In between his office hours while working
as a hotel clerk, he had been developing
into bicycle racer. This sport was new
then, and he made good. He also made
money; but what is more to the point he
saved 1t. At 21 he settled permanently In
Philadelphia, registered at the law school
turned all his energy to study. Two years
after graduating from the University he was
appointed an Assistant City Solicitor and
given work with the road jury. It goes
without saying that there was politics be-
hind the appointment; but even his political
opponents are willing to admit that Rogers
never was given Job he couldn't hold on
sheer ability.
Diversions of Popular Man
Mr.. Rogers was the organizer of the Broil-
ers' Club and is a member of the Cricket
Club, the West Chester Hunt Club the Hunt
Ing Club, the Manufacturers Club, Pen and
Pencil and various Others in addition to the
Clover He gave up his position as master
of hounds at the Chester Valley Hunt Club
some time ago because he was getting too
heavy for hard riding, but he still follows
the hounds occasionally. His PRINCIPAL
hobby now is swimming, at which he is an
expert. He manages to find time for a
plunge at the Athletic Club of PHILADELPHIA
nearly every day. In his younger days Re
played water polo.
Judge Rogers is exceedingly popular. He
is well liked. especially by lawyers and
newspaper men; by the former because he
has the reputation of always playing fair
and by the latter for the same reason and
also because in the conduct of his cases he
never plays to the grand stand" as some
lawyers do He has an aggressive, compelling
manner in an emergency, but he succeeds
more often by adroitness than by force. And
II ought TO be added that he has even more
than the usual share OF the gift that legend
says comes from kissing the Blarney Stone.