Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-11-10
The faiii case.

The Union woke up this morning to
find that a pretty good chain of circum.
stantial evidence had ben woven about
the matter of the pouring Of the nitric
acid Oh the face and neck of Mrs w B
Hill last Thursday night and 1t became
dumbfounded to know that none of the
suspicious circumstances surrounding the
case. such as hsve appeared from time to
time it The ARGUS had been made pub
lie through its columns, and il a. once
became wrathy at the police and gave ex-
preston to this assertion:
A Union reporter called at police head.
quar- ers in the Armory between and 10
O'Clock on Saturday evening to Inquire if
there were any fresh developments in the
Hill vitriol throwing case. He was told
by the officers present that there was
nothing Lew. There WAS something new
however, and why the Rock Island police
should keep it from a Rock Island news
paper thereby giving the Davenport press
the advantage of first publication is as
mysGifYing to the ordinsry intelligence
rs the release by the police of prisoner
with strong circumstantial evidence of
his guilt. without presenting the case to
justice of the peace.
In reference to the first part of the
Unions remarks it may be said that had
it been as diligent reader of THE ARGUS
as the msjority of people in Rock Island,
it would have found in the Saturday eve-
ming Issue of this paper. and before it
appeared in Davenport paper, the an
nouncement that Hill had probably pur-
chased nitric acid at asrrison's pharmacy
in Davenport Thursday evening before
the occurrence. Such revelation would,
to say the least, have served the Union
as pretty good 'pointer" to work the
police, il nothing else. THE ARGUS
would not sustain the police in withhold
ing events of a news nature from the
press, but it is informed that
| when the Union reporter went to
police headquarters Saturday night he
was told that there was nothing new in
the Hill case beyond what appeared in
The ARGUS of that evening. The Union
would not take THE ARGUS statement
and hence got left. As far as filing the
information is concerned, THE ARGUS
believes Chief Miller has exercised the
full extent of his authority in the prem
Uses.
L, has been reported that Mr.. Hill is
probably mentally dersnged. and if there
is any foundation for the accusations inn
plicating him, his conduct may be charilably
attributed TO this fact. Whatever may be
the ground for this view of the case, Mr.
Hill has certainly acted very strangely
since the night of tie fr;ghtful attack
upon his wife, and has not only made
number of conflicting statements in ex
PLANTATION of his purchase and use of the
nitric acid both in this city and in Daven-
port, but q further circumstance which
seems difficult of explanation is that Mr..
Hill has made no very great effort either
to exonerate himself or to apprebend the
guilty in connection with the crime.
THE ARGUS has had no disposition to
treat Mr.. Hill unfairly in the matter, but
has endeavored to present all the facts it
could gather from day to day having any
bearing on the case.
A change for the worse has taken
place in Mrs. Hills condition. and DR..
Kinyon states that for The rext two weeks
at least, she will be in the most critical
stages.