The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1881-03-14
The Man who Killed Him
self Last Saturday.
His Previous Record In the Criminal
Courts.

was startled By the announcement that
man whose name proved to be Gusta
Plum. had been found dead ia ihis pea. a
his boarding house near the halfway
House, and, No ia customary on sucn occa
sions, all sorts of rumors were ahoat
There were some who hinted foul pay
others that he had been stricken witt
sploplexy and others that il was sat
eide.
As soon as possible Coroner w. q
Morris repaired to the scene and empan
allied jury and began the inquest.
DR.. w. G. Morey, was called upon t.
make post mortem exsmtna'ion' ane
discovered arsenic in the stomach, clearly
indicating suicide, and trom other testi
mony as to the actions and habits OF the
deceased, the jury were convinced this was
thu cause of death. aud So rendered
verdict. Il III
THE CAUSES
which led to his suicide are macy out the
principal reasoo is supposed TO hava been
uespondency. He had been unols to earn
a living for some months and va
regarded as indolent aud not Trustworthy
Besides. his feet were frozen and thi,
rendered it hard even had opportunity
presented. for him to do much work -
though he was never known TO be Yer,
active or thrifty.
HIS RECORD
The record of the deceased is wcltl
uuearthing, as it was an unsavory one
He was detected 10 a number of petit.
offenses as far back as July 1880. but hi
most prominent appearace before th
public was
HIS ARRErs FoR RAPE
on little girl scarcely 7 years old. named
Caroline Meese. He caught the little on
near Weyerhaeuser & Denkman' saw mill
and. forcibly grabbed her and tried t.
accomplish
HIS HELLISH PURPOSE.
but was foiled by the timely arrival o
VIM. Gathigan, who was attracted by th,
heartrendering screams of the little cir
who was struggling to free herself from
the clotches of the william. The girl wal
badly bruised by the inhunan wretch, anc
but for Gathigan's arrival, might have
suffered
FATE wosE THAN DEATH.
Plum was turned over to Marshal Mil.
Ter and Officer McCabe and put in Jail
and next day appeared before Justice
Cooke. where the evidence was conclusive
rs to his guilt and he was bound owe. to the
Circuit Court in default of $500 bail, or
the charge of attempted rape.
The case created great excitement al
the time. and had the friends Of tie little
girl got hold of the wretch, be would
have suffered severely-might have be. Z
lynched.
At the trial in the Circuit Court Plum
was represented by NJ. NJ Corbett, Esq.
and plea of guilty of assault was entered
by the prisoner and accepted by the court
The prisoner then plead poverty and
through this appeal was cleared.
There was much dissatisfaction at the
result Of this case but it and Plum passed
from view for while-but only for time
for in December last Plum was heard
Henry County and had 60 skip out before
he was summary dealt with.
Then be came TO Rock Island again, bu,
the stigma of bis foul deed chung to him
and no one would help him. He was
again nearly caught in an ugly scrape
near Annawan. and then went to Moline,
where he was on the town for while, bu,
when he was offered work. did but little
OF it. and seemed more DESTROYS of living
of the world than that he should work for
his bread.
He skipped out. was gone couple Of
weeks. came back to Rock Island and was
again jailed as vagrant. He was offered
but refused work. and when the town re-
fused to support him went to Moline
where be lived 90 ITS charity. Lately he
was given work to do. and gould have
EARNED A LIVING
put refused to work claiming that the COL
1ition Of his feet would not permit hard
abor 10 the meantime ugly rumors of
1irty deeds elsewhere began to circulate
about him, and
IN SHEER DESPAIR,
t is thought. be took his life. Thus the
curtain is drawn over the life of q man
Who wrecked himself. A man physically.
put a brute seusually A man who sought
he ruin of little prattling children, and
whose base passions made him abhorrent
o decent people. The remains were
AIKEN 10 charge By Coroner Morris, and
we're buried at county expense. Deceased
vas about Is years of age. and, so far as