The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1886-08-02

the body, the water was four to five feet
deep; the scratches could not have been
made by other hooks on the line. When
we found her. her hands were clasped to-
gether; the body was not stiff.
James Forber's testimony was corrob>
orative of Peterson's.
Thos Buford, Jr., of Rock Island, be-
ing sworn, said: I returned from Dav-
export about 0 o'clock last night; the
arsenal clock struck 8 while was on the
bridge; when | reached the north end of
the draw span OF the bridge heard
ISDIsTINcT CRIES;
could not tell whether it was a woman's
voice; the cries seemed to come from the
water below the bridge; when | had
walked little further | saw three men
standing some ten or fifteen feet north of
the south end of the bridge and fourth
man about % years old standing in the
shadow; the three men were the guard
and Boettger and Lungenheim; the
fourth did not know or learn his name;
when got up to them Lungenheim was
asking Boettger why he did not prevent
her from jumping over into the reyer; he
made no reply, except that he would not
jump after her as he could not swim.
Boettger was cool, but earnest; Lungen-
helm was excited and persp iring: | went
with those men to the guard house at the
end of the bridge. l heard Boettger say
that the woman who jumped into the
river was his wife. went with Cazatte
TO the engine room and gave him my
name and address; when l came up TO
Boettger he did not seem excited or his
clothes disordered, as though he had had
3 struggle. If this woman had cried be-
fore she jumped from the bridge think
| would have heard it.
J. W. Tucker, a travelling salesman,
testified: About o'clock | was talking
with Guard Martens at the north end of
the government bridge when man and
woman came onto the bridge from Dav-
export. They were quarreling, but as
their talk was mostly in German | could
not understand all of it, I heard the
word divorce" he then said there was
no use of going there tonight as his Office
was shut up. She said: II know where
he lives aud we can go to his residence. "
He had said
BENNETT WOULD DIVORCE THEM
They were on the west side of the bridge
and walked over toward the draw to
see Brennan, the fireman, en- the east
side of the bridge about 20 feet behind
them. / had taken three or four steps
on the draw, when l heard a woman
scream, help me" looked, and saw a
woman on the outside of the bridge bans
lister, almost on level with the bridge
hoor, the man was about ID or 90 feet
south OF where she went down. | called
to the guard to hold that man, but don't
know whether he heard me. | did not
know whether she was the woman who
had been with this man, or whether she
had fallen or been thrown from the upper
floor of the bridge.
The testimony of this witness was the
last taken on Sunday. and the inquest
was postponed to meet at Coroner
Halves office at o'clock this morning.
At that time the inquest WAS continued
in the presence of quite an inquisitive
audience. Engineer Cazatte and Fireman
Nelson both testified to hearing a splash
in the water. accompanied simultaneous
ly with shrek. They lowered the boat
and were in the water two minutes after
hearing the alarm Although feeling
confident that they could rescue the
woman from the direction in which the
cries came, they were unable TO do so.
all was quiet.
MRS. ANNA HUsS,
the mother of the dead woman, was next
placed on the stand. She is 81 years of
age, and lives in Blue Grass township,
about seven miles from Davenport. She
said her son-in-lsw's proper name was
Hans Joachim Boettger, but he called
himself James. Her daughter would
have been twenty years of age the last
day of this month, had she lived. She
was married to Boettger in Squire Hawes'
office in this city January %. 1884 They
first lived in Greenbush in Henry Rand's
house, but subsequently moved to Twen>
ty-thlrd street. One night, fourteen days
after the marriage ceremony, they quar-
relied, and the wife announced her inten-
ton of returning to her mother. Boett>
ger beat her, however. and locking her in
a room, would not leave her de.
part. A child was born to them
on July 8, 1884; Immediately afterwards
Boettger went away and remained q
week, not providing for his family, The
child lived only thirteen months, dying
in August 1885. During this time Boett
ger and his wife had two violent auarrels
during one of which he
SEIZED A RATCHET
and only for prompt interference would
have struck her with it. He left hel
again in the spring of 1885, aud she gain