"OLD ROGERS."

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 114, 30 September 1912, Page 8

"OLD ROGERS."

THE POACHER OF ELEPHANTS. THRILLING'STORY OF A TRAGIC RAID. The London Daily Express has the following with regard to the killing of Rodgers, the elephant poacher," of which brief mention was made in our cables some week's ago. A sensational,. tragic story has'been received by Reuter of an expedition despatched by the Soudan 1 Government against a gang of elephant poachers under an American named Rogers, who had with him a formidable armed following. The gang had, in defiance of all law, been poaching for the sake of ivory in the remote regions of the Lado-Gongo boundary, and Cap'tain C. V. Fox, the , inspector of the Mongalla Province, was sent with a small force in pursuit. For six weeks the captain chased the elusive poachers. So I'ongh was . the country and so laborious the travel that Captain Fox was, himself (i in rags ;wheii finally he came fece to face with the < American poacher, whom he only found after he and his force had unwittingly crossed into Congo territory. ' The meeting between the poacher and j his pursuers and the final scene at Rogers' deathbed when the latter breathed his last attended by the officer who | had been sent to arrest liini, arc extraordinary episodes in a most dramatic story. At Montwafci, greatly to the chagrin of the pursuing force, there wa? no sign of Rogers and his gang, and food was refused by the inhabitants, who would have nothing to do with Captain Fox and his companions. Here it was reported that the poacher was keeping to the densely-wooded swamps frequented by the elephants, and for four days the force was crossing countless deep streams and swamps. At Lado it was learned that the poachers had split up, and that each section had made a fourteen days' tour. DESPERATE PURSUIT. For many days the pursuit was continued under similar distressing conditions, neither men nor carriers bavin" shelter of any sort. Finally Captain Pox succeeded in crossing the river, and worn out, cold, wet and hungry, they

reached a village where tlicy were told that the poachers had shot a native. Despite their conditi.ons, Captain Fox and his companions at once set forth in the dark, and in a short time entered a great village square, around' which were posted a hundred of the carriers belong-, ing to the poachers' gang, each armed with rifles and cartidgcs. The captain looked around for any signs of the men he had sent ahead, but they were not to be seen, so, with great pluck, he advanced into the centre of the armed circle and Asked for the white men. No answer'was vouchsafed, but i his guide silently pointed to a large house, towards which the officer, cari Tying his rifle cocked- and loudly calling on Rogers three times, approached.

In answer to the summons a boy ran out of the house and said: "The commandant wants you to come in. He is siek and cannot come out." On hearing this the officer at once laid aside his rifle and, leaving his little following outside, entered the ihouse. Be found himself in a large, dark room lighted by a flickering candle. At first he could seee' nothing, hut his eyes growing accustomed to the light, he made out a white man lying on a befl. Beside him was another white man, and surrounding the bed were about ten natives. There was dead silence, and | Captain Fox felt sure that he and his j police had 'been trapped. He asked for Mr Rogers, and the other white man replied, "Mr Eogers has been shot." WEIRD CONVERSATION. "Yea," said Rogers, "and by your boys." Then ensued an extraordinary conversation. Captain Fox said, "I am very sorry that you have been hit. I hope it is not serious, but certainly you arc wrong in thinking it was my boys." "No," he said, "it is the boys you sent here to arrest me," Fox replied, "There were three of my police on ahead of me, but I am quite certain they would not interfere with you." "Come and stand right here so that I can have a look'at you," Rogers said. The officer went and stood beside his bed the other white man standing close by. Under the red 'blanket which was covering Rogers could be seen the shape of a ■ revolver, which was pointing straight at Captain Fox. Rogers' eyes were blazing. Rogers said, "Tell me "what you have come after me to arrest me for." Captain Fox answered, "You are wounded now; let all that rest until yeu are better." "No," he said, "I am a dying man, I guess. I did not think they could kill old Rogers, but they hate got him this time, and I want to fix this thing up, right now. What is your name?" "Well, Captain Fox," he continued, on receiving a reply, "you are a young man and you have got yourself into a lot of trouble, for do you know that you are in Belgian territory, that you are surrounded by 300 armed men, and that you stand more chance of arrest than Ido?" Captain Fox rejoined, "I am not in Belgian territory, and we need not discuss the chance of my arrest." "I wish I were feeling a little better," Rogers said. "I would soon convince you." TRAGIC MOMENT. Rogers seemed by now to have worked himself into a fury, and Captain Fox expected him to shoot every moment. The room was so dark that'it was impossible to tell if his boys were armed or not. However, he calmed down on being told that Captain Fox was acting under orders, and that lie had a letter for him. The dying man then turned over in liia bed, and Captain Fox left the house. In tile middle of the night a boy was : 'sent -over to Captain Fox to say Rogers 1 was dying, and that he wished to see the officer. His police did not want him to go again into the house. However, he went, and Rogers, turning to his white companion, said, "Doctor, I wish you to hear and be a witness to what I am going to say to Captain Fox." He then said: — "I surrender myself voluntarily to the Soudan Government, and I want you to eee that the doctor gets into no trouble over this. I believe lam a dying man, so that I am not going to lie about it; but this was mv show and all mv work. "I am afraid, doctor, that I have brought you into a lot of trouble, a lot of trouble. Well, I guess they have got old Rogers this time. lam very old, and perhaps it is just as well, but they could not have hanged me. Well, I have had my good times as well as my bad times. You remember what I told you, doctor. I can't stand the religious people. "If you are religious, you have got to play up to your religion. I never had none, so I coulcl do what I liked. Well, doctor, I'll soon know now how I stand with all you religions fellows." COURTEOUS BELGIANS. Captain Fox was asked to dine with the Belgians, but as he was still nursing Rogers he. declined. The Belgians took over nil the poachers, and asked Captain Fox to disarm his men. This he did, and received from the Belgians the greatest courtesy and hospitality. The day after the arrival of the Belgians Rogers died. lie was quite sensible to the end, and described his symptoms: — "Say. doctor, give me a drink of water. • I have got a bad taste in my mouth. That is mortilicati on setting in," and I again: "Say, doctor, did you hear that? That is the death rattle. Heard it too often to make any mistake about that. ( "Say. captain, you are a big, strong , fellow, lift me up once more, for the last time. I will not be here to-morrow. I am still pretty heavy, ain't 1?" That afternoon Rogers was buried. . A SOLDIER OF FORTUNE. ] New York, August 20. The former wife of the hunter Rogers, whose dramatic end in the Congo State has just been reported, says she had