The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1916-06-23
Divergent
PATHS
By DONALD CHAMBERLIN

t1al improvements. Ill us CelleI WIS u
bronze statue of a man In civilians
dress, In one hand roll of parchment.
1 fancied that the original was either
a distinguished public man or philan-
thropist-quite likely the latter. Meet
ing a man who appeared to occupy an
average position in the town l accosted
him and asked him whom the statue
represented.
There's a story connected with II, F"
he replied, "and If you will sit beside
me on one of these benches l will tell
it to you"
We seated ourselves, and he told me
the following story:
This is Rogers park, and that Is a
statue of Ben Rogers, who founded it
More than fifty years ago Ben and Sam
Rogers were boys, somewhat ragged,
playing marbles and ball and such 9th
er boys games right here where this
park Is now located. It was then a
vacant tract and considered worthless.
Now the property bordering on it is
worth millions.
"Sam Rogers, the younger brother,
was picked out for a failure In life be-
cause he couldn't hold on TO his money.
He was what was called chicken heart
ed, and whenever he saw any one In
trouble for want Of money down went
his hand into his pocket Ben, on the
rtn
He looked out for himself and rolled
up money in small way from the time
he was ten years old.
ben Rogers Gtayed right here in
this town and accumulated money
slowly till the man who owned the land
ON which we are sitting died, and it
was sold out for song. Ben bought
1t and conceived the idea of making
park Of 1t. He secured options on all
the bordering property, then gave his
original purchase to the town on con-
dition they would make park Of 1t.
Sam Rogers when about twenty-five
years old left the town, regretted by
every impecunious person In it. The
more successful citizens said, "a good
radiance" At the end Of dozen
years Sam came back and surprised
every one by bringing a fortune with
him. When asked how he got 1t he
said 1t was by pure luck. This was
all they could get out of him, but l
learned the truth long after his death.
He had loaned a man a hundred dol
lars to save a piece of property he
owned, the property afterward be-
came very valuable, and when the
owner died, having no one else to
leave it to, he left it to Sam Rogers.
"Sam on his return resumed his CIV
ing to needy persons, only he now gave
$40 where formerly he had given 10
cents. His brother, Ben, had been saw
ing his money and had got enough to-
gether to begin TO think about making
an investment on larger scale. 1t was
soon after Sans return that the orig
inal owner of this property died. Ben
not having enough money to carry out
his enterprise called ON his brother
to go in with him. Sam said that he
didn't want to make any more money
than he had already, but he would
loan Ben all he wanted.
81 was then studying law with Ben
Rogers attorney and know whereof
I'm going to tell you. Sam paid no
attention to the securities his brother
gave him and one day woke up to
learn that he had been swindled out
of all he possessed. He never told
any one how he lost his fortune and
enjoined secrecy on his brothers at
torneys. By this time he was too old
to make another fortune and lived a
precarious life till he finally died from
want of proper sustenance and medi-
cal attendance. A number of persons
whom he had befrlended bought a lot
In the cemetery and buried him there
"Ben Rogers became the most influ-
entail man In the town, and when any
important town matter was to be de-
cided he was called upon for his opin-
ion. He built church on a worthless
tract of land he owned and sold off the
rest of the tract for another fortune
He established other institutions, con-
irving to make money out of all of
them.
when he died he left money for a
suitable monument, desiring that he
should be buried in the park that bore
his name and which 1t had given him
so much pleasure to have provided for
the enjoyment of the people of his ma
tive town. His executors had been in
structed by him before his death to
provide that statue, for which and its
pedestal $4,000 had been provided In
the WILL"
When the narrator had finished his
story l expressed a desire to visit the
grave of Samuel Rogers. He told me
that the cemetery was not half mile
away, and l determined to take
stroll in that direction. He also told
me where to find the grave in among
the less desirable lots. l thanked him
for his story and passed on.
When / reached the cemetery ask
ed a we'll to do looking person l saw
there If he could direct me to the
grave of Samuel Rogers. He looked at
me doubtfully. then said:
81 reckon you're looking for the mon
ument Of Benjamin Rogers, the philan-
thropist and founder of Rogers park.
It's in the center of the town."