The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1885-05-12
A WILD WOMAN.
Mrs. f. e. Downs Proves to be a Dan
ger0us Crank--IIer Occupation
and Strange Ideas.

and Strange Ideas.
The woman described in yesterdays
ARG US, as registered at the Harper house
under the name of F. e. Downs, of Chi
cage, who was arrested Sunday evening
for attempting to walk on the Chicago,
Burlington & Quincy trestle work, which
is forbidden by law, has turned out to be
a crank of serious nature. The woman
was released from the armory Sunday
night at the request of Chief Clerk Will
lerton, of the Harper house, who identi-
fed her as a guest at the hotel.
Her strange actions on Sunday caused
Mr.. Willerton to suspect her soundness
of mind, and although her baggage was
of sufficient worth to pay her bill, he de-
cided last night to collect what she owed
the hotel for board. He accordingly pre-
sented her with the bill, which she re-
fused unceremonlously to pay. Mr.. Will
lerton then informed her she must either
pay or leave the house. Il will do
neither, she replied, "and no power un>
der heaven can make me" The room as
signed to her was on the third floor, and
Mr. Willerton gave the bell boy wink,
which he understood, and he went up and
locked the door of the room from the in
side, and came out through window.
The clerk repeated his demand, telling
her to pay up and leave the house immes
diately, but he was again met with def
ance. She told him to do his worst, and
with defiant air she started up stairs.
The sounds of pounding and
kicking the door soon came from
the upper floor, and Mr. Willerton started
up to quiet it. He was met by the crank,
who assaulted him on the head with her
valise, at the same time uttering the most
| abusive language. Of course Mr.. Willer~
tons first impulse was to strike the assail-
ant, but seconds reflection reminded
him that the crank was woman, and
probably of deranged mind, so he simply
attempted to seize her. Night Clerk
McHugh, however, was awakened by the
noise in the hall, and not knowing what
was the cause of it, embarked suddenly
from his room near by, in his sleeping at
tire, and seized the woman from behind
In the meantime, Marshal Eckhart had
been summoned and he arrived and con>
Quoted the crank to the armory, where
she spent the night, and where her bags
gage was sent to her from the Harper
She informed the police that she desired
to go to ST. Louis by way of Peoria, so
she was escorted to the S:45 train this
morning, and sent in the direction of Peo-
ria. She carried her Scotch terrier in her
lap, and departed declaring vengeance
upon all Rock Island
Previous TO Clerk Willerton's trouble
with her she Informed him that she was
writing a novel, to be entitled The
Sting of the Serpent" or the Fate of the
Fateless Child, and she displayed a
stack of legal cap paper about foot high
which she said she would use in the fas>
cinating narrative.
| Among her baggage was set of China
ware, a book entitled "a Treatise on
Dogs" and blank receipt on which was
printed;
| Received of $200, pays
ment for one years subscription for
........ F. E. DowNs,
Room 5, Japanese building.
To an ARGUs reporter, who attempted
to interview her. previous to her depart
ure this morning, she said she
never forgave or forgot; that she
could kill, although thousand
miles away, and that if anything
happened either to Clerk Willerton or the
ARGUS reporters, people might under
stand the cause of it. She thought that
a little dynamite might be fifty used in
Rock Island, and said the time would
come when it would be used here, and
she used about the same language at the
armory last night to the police.
She talks huently and as one who has
had an education, but it can be easily
seen that she is laboring under an aberra>
ton of the mind, and it is a matter of grave
doubt if the police have pursued udi>
cious course in lettinU her 90