Imperial Valley press., 1919-01-25
NATIONWIDE SEARCH
N ADE FOR ARREST 7.
OFF, OLIVER ROBERTS
FOR WIFE MI RIDER
Officers Who Are Investigating the Case Fear That the
Alleged Uxorcide May Take the Life of His Little
Three-Year-Old Daughter if His Own Neck Is En-
dangered by the Possibility of Arrest

horse at an approximate distance eof
fifty yards from the little arroyo or
canyon of New river where the body
was found. Then, in the investiga-
tion of the murder, quantity of
clothes left by the Roberts at the Ore
gon hotel were found. In this find
were uncovered the missing links
which definitely established the iden-
titv of the murdered woman.
The couple registered at the Ore
gon hotel on Christmas day as Mr..
and Mrs. Oliver Roberts of San Die
go. A few days later the man OBJ
tanned work with the Globe Oil Mills,
but left this employment a few days
later. -
Meanwhile he had paid two or three
visits to the livery stable, looking
over the presumed pride of his eye,
tie racehorse. Finally on Sunday he
hired the horse for trip around the
Vallev, the couple leaving their few
effects at the hotel.
When the couple failed to return,
the hotel management packed the
clothes up and boxed them, marking
up the experience to profit and loss,
as the hotel bill had not been paid.
The day before the couple. left, Rob-
erts made his third purchase of oil,
supposedly for the stove in his room
at the Oregon. He, bought 10 cents
worth or a half gallon.
Three or four witnesses. whose
names are in the hands of the sher-
iff, saw the party in their wanderings
about the lower part of the county.
Their trim took them toward the in
ternational boundary line. leading the
officers to believe that Roberts even
then was planning his getaway.
That the crime was premeditated
is shown by the purchase of the oil
a day before the trip, the drive close
to the Mexican line, and other cir
cumstnces, according to the officers.
It is believed that bad feeling be-
tween the pair. which exhibited itself
in threats made bv the husband be-
fore witnesses at the hotel, culminat-
ed in the murder.
Sheriff Applestill believes that the
man contemplated the theft Of the
horse, which he believed to be valu-
able, although the animal was II
years old, and that his wife refused
to become party to his plans. The
sheriff points to statements of wit
nesses that the woman was reluctant
to accompany him.
From o'clock Sunday evening,
January 5. all trace of Roberts has
been lost, but from the fact that he
was practically penniless it is not
believed he is far away unless he sold
the horse and, with the child, made
distance from the Valley his aid.
1t Is also regarded as certain that
the ctual crime of murder was staged
in the river bottom. after the woman
had been lured to the lonesome spot
by some pretext or another. Proof
of this is contained in the fact that
pools Of coagulated blood were found
under the half burned body, and
traces of blood. presumably from the
murderer's hands, were discovered on
the tule blades crushed down in the
halfway he made to return to his
buggy.
Roberts is thought to have been
resident of Los Angeles, where he
was employed during the spring of
1912 as assistant shipping clerk at
Harper & Reynolds hardware store.
At that time he was unmarried. Lat
er he is THOUGHT to have gone north,
probably to Washington, where he
was married.
The man was down and out finan-
cially while here. Just a few days
before his disappearance he succeed
ed in borrowing small sums Of mon-
ey from several persons here, includ-
ing the Rev. B. j. Darnielle, rector of
St. Paul's Episcopal church, to whom
he represented himself as an Episco-
palian and former member Of the
choir of Christ church. Los Angeles,
who was temporarily down and out
through the recent sickness of his
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