Paragould soliphone. (Paragould, Ark.) 1918-1950, 1921-11-11
REVELATIONS
ARE SHOWING
UP E.B. ROGERS
Bank Of Blytheville Method
Used by Chief Deputy
Sheriff in Manipulating
Funds of the County.


The Blytheville Courier, in its
edition of Monday, November It'll,
carries the following news story
concerning the disappearance OF
Chief Deputy Sheriff E. B. Rogers
Of that city, who was first report
ed murdered. 1t is now generally
believed the official absconded and
will be apprehended. He was short
$65,OOO.O0 in county funds alleged
to have been taken through the
office of Sheriff Dwight Blackwood.
The Courier's report Of the case
follows:
1T was disclosed late last week by
a special auditor whom Sheriff
Blackwood put to work on the books
of his chief deputy e. b. Rogers,
that there are irregularities totaling
$65,000.00 in Rogers accounts and
the posse which had been combing
the Big Lake woods for week quit
their work and waited developments.
Nv. A. Kleiber of Osceola, certi-
fled public accountant, was placed
on : the books, who with Sheriff
Blackwood began the search for dis
crepancies in the books.
'.The finding of the deputies keys
in the bottom of his Ford sedan in
Paragould gave the sheriff his first
opportunity to see the inside of his
private strong box in the office
vault. In this box was found many
things which revealed Irregularities.
One of these was bunch of old
checks mostly on the counter checks
Of the old Bank of Blytheville, dated
as far back as 1919, OF exceeding
$4,000, the checks being signed by
Rogers with one by B. II. White.
The sheriff's name did not appear
on them, nor did the books show
the transactions.
I'm the general ledger were sew
eral sheets containing the account of
Rogers with his chief, which were
faded and finger marked. These
Mr.. Blackwood said he had never
seen, and he believes they were
placed in the book Saturday, before
his disappearance.
''These sheets had displaced the
bogus sheets which the sheriff al
ways inspected weekly. The loose
leaf system was identical with the
system used in the old Bank of
Blytheville, where Rogers was en-
ployed for some time as assistant
bookkeeper during the time his
tooters were manipulating the books
of that institution.
1.-THE auditor discovered many ir-
Irregularities in the books and told
the Courier he had never seen as
smooth piece of work in bookkeep-
ing.
SHERIFF Blackwood told the Cour-
Ter that when the hat and some per-
sonal papers were found near Big
Lake so nicely planted" in the
road, his suspicious were aroused,
and when he got a description of the
man In the new car in HornersWlle
he was convinced that any further
search for the body would be in
vain. He does not credit the woman
in the story who was said to have
driven the car into Paragould. He
thinks Rogers may have worn a
long coat to disguise himself How
ever. at least two Blytheville people
claim to have seen woman in the
car with him near Manila Sunday
afternoon when the two cars raced.
Few if any in this city would
have believed Rogers short, and yet
it now seems unreasonable that any
man could accumulate the property
he did in ten or twelve years on
salary of from $3.50 to SITS per
month. He had about 400 acres of
land, two automobiles and other evil
dences of prosperity worthy Of men
drawing a larger salary.
1T now seems that Rogers laid his
plans we'll. Six weeks ago, he took
the premium being $500. He carried
to exceed $4,000 life insurance, the
premium on his last policy was made
by draft on the Bank of Manila by
which he did not excite any curios-
ity ON the part of Mr.. Blackwood
had the banking been done through
q local bank. His only object in Sc
curing this insurance it is thought
was to protect his shortage and leave
his farm property intact for his
wife. Thus the hat stunt is be-
lieved to be his work. Whether
he left his keys in his car as his
last friendly act to his chief is con-