The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-01-01
WOMAN HAPPY
BECAUSE DYING.
The Third Mrs. Rogers Who Poisoned
Herself and Two Babies Be.
s cause Of No Marriage
Certificate.
ALL THREE WILL DIE
Man In the Case Refuses to Talk,
But PAGES the Floor In Front
Of Her Room at the
Hospital.
ALL THREE WILL DIE

limited Press Leased Wire Service.l
NEW ORLEANS, Jan. HAPPY in
the thought she Is dying, Mrs. Ida
Snifin Rogers, the pivotal figure in the
wierdest love tragedy ever brought to
light here, told of her futile struggle
to give her two babies a name. and
failing, she poisoned them and her
self. One OF the babies, John. two
years old, lis dying. the other is dead.
knowledge that Florida, the baby
girl, is dead, and that the other baby
cannot live, is being kept from the
woman. The doctors fear that the
shock would cause her immediate
death. She believes the children will
both survive and was today planning
most desires-a name. Outside of the
woman's room in Lebanon hospital, a
man PAGES up and down the corridor.
1t is Lorlys Elton Rogers. lawyer,
father of the woman's children, but
not ner husband. He has been at tho
hospital almost constantly since the
woman was carried there two days
ago. Driven nearly to distraction
he nevertheless maintains a cold sill
ence.
Not word will he say verifying the
dying woman's story of her illicit love.
Up on Riverside Drive section, in
the richly furnished home of Profess
cor Ero pkIjp H;ddin0s - CoIu,,, hi n
university, is another woman. It Is
Rogers legal wife-sister OF Professor
Giddings. She is i'll, nearly nervous
wreck, q result Of exposure of her
husbands dual life. But despite all
that has come out-the fact that her
husband maintained another home
and had two children by another
woman-she remains true to him. The
one and only statement she has made
since Mrs. Ida Rogers poisoned her
children and herself was: II may say
to you, that whatever he has done,
nothing can make me believe that
my husband is anything but q good
man."
Professor Giddings denied state.
ments from the dying woman-that
she knew and had visited Rogers
legal wife.
~ am sure my sister did not know
OF this affair." he declared. "And the
statement that this woman visited
her is preposterous.
Ida Sniffen's story is pitiful one
the heart cry of mother for q name
for her children. 81 loved and do love
Lorlys Elton Rogers now" she sobbed
to doctor after she was told that
she could not recover. And I never
thought we were doing anything
he told me that he was married. but
said that he and his wife did not love
one another and that they had agreed
when they married that If either one
got tired that the other would not
interfere in divorce proceeding.
Then he told me that he loved me
and consented to go live with him.
When our first baby was born, ask
ed him about the divorce, because
wanted name for my baby. He
said he would get it soon and didn't
say any more. But when our second
baby came, he told me that his wife
refused to get the divorce. Then l
gave up. l lost hope and then it was
that I determined. rather than live a
life of shame and have my children
brought up without a name. I would
kill them and myself"
A. third woman entered the case to-
day. It was Rogers first wife who
obtained a divorce from him. She
visited Ida Snifin Rogers at the hos
pital and tried to comfort her. She
was drawn to the woman by the story
or her suffering. AS she entered the
hospital she passed Rogers in the cor
ridor and stopped and talked to him
for a minute.
The authorities have taken no furth-
er action in the case. The charge Of
attempted suicide placed against Ida
Sniffin Rogers has never been chang
ed.
There is no chance for her recov-
cry, so it has not been thought worth
while to bring a charge Of homicide
against her as the result of the death
of her boy" said a member of the
district attorneys staff.