Evanstonian Exonerated

Subtitle: John W. Rodgers, Prominent Broker, Was Wednesday Cleared of the Charge of Perjury Against Him. Attorney in Statement

John W. Rodgers, 2145 Orrington avenue, a prominent brkoer, and well known in the financial district for years, was Wednesday cleared of the charge of perjury against him. At the time of the raid upon the Capital Investment company, in December, 1910, Mr. Rodgers appeared before the grand jury and was indicted for perjury in connection with the testimony therein given. The case was dismissed by Judge Carpenter yesterday upon motion of United States Attorney Wilkerson. Mr. Rodgers was for fifteen years the resident partner of the firm of Holligan and Co., which firm had offices in the Rookery.

Mr. Dwight S. Bobb of the firm of Adams, Bobb and Adams, Mr. Rodgers' attorneys, in discussing the matter, said: "When Mr. Rodgers was called before the grand jury more than a year and a half ago in connection with the case brought against the Capital Investment company, he answered all inquiries made of him and assisted the government in every way possible by turning all his books and papers over for their inspection. Mr. Rodgers was asked before the grand jury whether he ever did any business for the Capitol Investment company, and he replied he had not. He was also asked whether he had ever had any conversation with W. C. Belman, the cashier of the First National Bank of Hammond, to which he replied that he never had any conversation with him.

All Denied It: Mr. Belman, when seen, stated that at the time Mr. Rodgers made these statements before the grand jury that he had never seen Mr. Rodgers or talked with him in his life. Furthermore, all the former employees of Mr. Rodgers office, and all other persons who knew anything about his business, corroborated Mr. Rodgers' testimony in every respect that the firm of Holligan and Co.never did any business for the Capitol Investment company.

"Nothing could have cause greater surprise to Mr. Rodgers than the accusation of perjury. How the grand jury ever came to indict Mr. Rodgers is more than either he or his friends or attorneys can imagine. Mr. Rodgers has always been highly regarded by his business associates, and has been a law-abiding citizen, and this indictment, coming as it did, without any guilt on his part, was a great blow to him.

Assisted Him. "We did everything in our power, as Mr. Rodger's attorneys, to bring this matter to trial, but the attorneys for the government repeatedly refused to bring the matter up until the case against the Capital Investment company was tried. Mr. Rodgers was never even arraigned on the charge made against him, until this was done upon the motion of his own attorneys in order to force the case to a trial. An attempt was made last spring to bring this case to trial, but the engagements of the judge hearing criminal cases were such that it could not be done at that time. Not the slightest attempt was at any time made to conceal the facts of the case, but, on the contrary, we placed the Federal attorneys in possession of affidavits setting forth Mr. Rodgers' complete defense.

"Now, after nearly two years of waiting, the government, of his own nation, went into court yesterday morning and dismissed the charge. Mr. Rodgers certainly glad to have the matter settles even at this late day, although the sensational way in which he was exploited naturally caused him great chagrin and did incalculable injury to his business. If he had transgressed the laws of the country, it would have been a different matter, but it is all the harder to bear from the fact that he was entirely innocent in the matter. This is one of the cases where a citizen has no remedy for the wrong done."