The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-03-19
A GREAT CRIMINAL.
Full Particulars Respecting the Kill
ing of Joe alias Wesley Walters.
Gone into his Grave and into History
as one of the Nest Dangerous
Men who ever lived Here.

as one of the Nest Dangerous
Men who ever lived Here.
As soon as it was reported that Wesley
Walters. father of Ida May Walters, (who
tried to drown herself in the Mississippi
last SEPTEMBER had been killed in Rich
mond. Indiana recently, the people of this
city and Moline were anxious to learn
the particulars of the occurrence, Walters
being quite as well-known in Rock Island
as in Moline, where he lived with Mr.
Smith; the fact, too, that he slipped
across the river into Iowa as soon as he
knew that the last grand jury had found
true bill of indictment against him for
keeping a gambling house in Moline, lent
additional interest to his ease.
| For over a week past the ARGUS has
been in communication with the Rich
mond authorities respecting the Walters
case and as the result OF the same it is to-
| day enabled to present full account of
the unfortunate affair which stamps Wal
| tiers as one of the
| GREATEST CRIMINALS OF THE DAY.
| For the very excellent account of the
shooting and of the impelling causes, we
are in 1ebted TO Mr.. Herschel l. Fisher, the
accomplished city editor of the Richmond
| Palladium.
PoLTCEMAN's FATAL SHOT.
/ Policeman Chrisman, the new ap-
| pointee, shot his first man Tuesday night
| When Jack Daniels stole Joe Walters
overcoat the police were enabled to get a
clew that would lead to his conviction
and Chrisman was detailed to hel p work
up the case. He gave Walters 81 and
told him to fall in with Daniels and Run
nells and pretend to get drunk. to see if
they would not attempt to rob him again.
Walters treated them two or three times
/ and counterfeited drunken stupor
| Chrisman stood on the outside and saw
| Runnells take Walters watch from his
pocket and hold it a moment and then put
/ it back. The search at Daniels house re
suited i'll the discovery of the coat in. his
he'd and his conviction for taking it. Dur
ing the trial Walters was kept locked up
as a witness. When he was arrested and
placed in Jail he had a revolver in his
pocket and he handed il to William
Amsden to keep for him until he was re
leased. Yesterday he called for the
weapon and put it in his pocket. The
sheriff of Preble county came over from
Eaton on Monday and told the officers
that he had applied to Governor Foster,
of Ohio. for requistion to take Walters
back to Eaton where there is an indiCt
nent against him for stealing cattle from
his father The fellows brother in law
heard of the sheriff's intentions and came
Walters went TO Amsden and asked him
to take him to Oxford or Liberty. saying
that there was a reward of $500 offered
for him and he would have to go to the
penitentiary for twenty years If he was
caught. Chrisman, who was watching
their movements, stood at the entrance TO
the alley in which they were standing and
overheard the conversation. Amsden
said the buggy he uses belongs to Annie
Bruce. and he could not take it out of
town without her permission, but Walters
said he would go to see Annie and ask
her to loan it to him long enough to get
away. Amsden consented to this and
started off to see her himself in order TO
gether to refuse Walters when he should
| call. He was too late for the other man
had reached her first and she had CON
scented to let him have the buggy. but
Will induced her to countermand the order
and he went off to tell the police what
was going on among them. Walters had
said he would die before lie would
| surrender, and they knew enough of his
record to know that he was danger
Gus man and would make good his
| threats Chrisman, Bartel and Behold
started down Main street to look for him.
and came up to him at the southeast cor
ner of Main and Sixth streets. Before
they said word to him he drew his re
voiver and covered them with il and be
gan walking back, threatening to shoot
the first man that advanced toward him
They followed him over to DIR. Muller's
corner and were going to close up on him.
when he leveled his revolver at Bartels
breast and cooked it. Chrsman said:
Look out, he is going to shoot you,
and at the same time fired with his own
weapon. The shot went through Walters
right arm and penetrated the chest, taking
a downward course. He fell to the side
walk, and Bartel ran up to him, the other
officers yelling to him to be careful, that
the man still had his revolver and would
kill him. The wounded arm was too
weak to use the weapon, and 1t dropped
out of his hand and was picked up with
the hammer still cooked. They carried
him to the station house, where he lay
| all night on mattress IN the lODDV. Ut
McSimpson and afterwards DR.. Weist
examined him and pronounced his wound
dangerous, and probably fatal Turnkey
Carter and Officer Brankamp were left to
watch him, and Chief of Police Fleming
ut once arrested Chrisman, who was held
in custody until o'clock this morning.
when Acting Mayor Lyle accepted a bond
of 81, 900. signed by Ed Dickinson, and
let him go. The wounded man was rest
ing easy this morning but was weak
from internal hemorrhage and declined to
talk, Early in the morning he asked for
his father, an old man who has been
ruined by him, and Judge Abbott. his at
torney. A telegram was sent TO Eaton by
the police, but the old gentleman was too
sick to come, and he sent another son to
take care of him.
THE OHIO REQUIsITToN.
Sheriff Corvin, of Preble county, claim.
ed Walters Wednesday as his prisoner.
He had requisition for him, and the city
authorities surrendered him to his custody.
He had been GROWING stronger all day