Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-07-16
BAD BLOOD ON BOARD,
A Lively Row on the Steamer Mary
Morton This Morning.
sam smith. n Cabin BOY, shoots Jim
Bingham. Another Helper, and
The Jumps IatO the River
Police News in General

was lying at the leyee at the foot of Sew
enteenth street this morning on her trip
south. Sam Smith is a light mulatto
about "a years old, and employed as a
cabin boy on the boat; Jim Bigbam is
waiter, but of somewhat darker hue. The
two sons of Ham have had trouble sew
eral times during the last trip. and CAM
very near having a razor fight up the
river yesterday. This morning the quar-
rel broke out afresh Just as the boat was
landing here, and little later Smith ran
up stairs and borrowed revolver of
Texas tender, and running back to the
cabin deck, he saw Bingham coming up
! along tie guards with tray of dishes.
Without say ing q WORD he fired at him,
! tue bullet eu'eriug Bingham's right
hand; he attempted to shoot again
but The cylinder refused TO revolve and he
tIrned and ran back through the cabin
and out on the guards again. The passen-
gers. who were all out in front and heard
the shot, became excited and scattered in
| every direction. For few minutes no
one knew what had become of the bad
| coon with the gun, and an alarm Has sent
to police headquarters. Suddenly Smith
eme rged again and started to run into the
cabin through the front door when he
was caught with a staggering blow from
the heavy cane of Capt Boland and fell
to the deck. He picked himself up q
moment later, however, and running TO
the outside of the boat he plunged into
the river and swan around the stern of
the steamer toward shore.
The patrol wagon had arrived in the
aud when Smith reached shallow water
he walked right into the officers hands,
and he and Bingham were both taken to
the station. After their arrival there and
while they were waiting to be assigned to
quarters, Smith, who was thought to have
been thoroughly cooled off with his bath
got out and was only captured by Officer
Etzel, near the court house, after a hard
run. Bingham was not seriously hurt,
the ball having entered his hand Just back
of the little finger. and came out on the
other side. Neither of the men were said
to be quarrelsome, but their bad coon
blood seemed to assert itself. The men
Will probably be given hearing to
night.
The most exciting and tragic part of
the whole affair was Smiths attempted
escape. He raised q window on the east
side of the office at the station and slipped
out Officer Etzel ran to the door. but
the crowd was SO large that by the time he
got out the fugitive had gotten quite a
start. The officer called TO halt, but he
paid no attention and the policeman fired
into the air. Smith did not stop in his
flight until the officer fired a second time
| when the bullet struck and raised the
dust at the feet OF the fleeing coon, when
ne stopped, threw his hands into the air
and made as pretty stage fall as one
! would wish TO see. 1t was only ruse,
however. as he was not hit at all, but
probably did it thinking his pursuer
| would ring for the patrol wagon or
doctor and allow him to escape. He is
now locked up at the Jail.
POLICE POINTS
field on Twenty first street was found by
ncighb ors yesterday to show unmistaka-
BILE signs of having been burglarized. and
a telephone message was sent to the
police headquarters. Two OH cers visited
the house and found that it had been en-
aered by burglars saving the Stats in q
| window shutter and breaking the glass
SO as to unfasten the catch. An examin-
alton of the house showed that it had
J been thoroughly rsnsacked. the contents
OF bureaus, etc. having been emptied out
on the floor in the search of valuables.
Mrs. Wakefield and daughter are visiting
in Omaha and the extent of the theft cam
not be obtained until their return. Chief
| Miller is of the opinion that the burglar
is the same one who has beer" doing" Dav-
| EXPORT of late and who was arrested by
the police there early yesterday morning.
The same methods were employed In
Davenport, where all the keys in the
houses burglsrized were taken by the
burglar and the fellow arrested there had
nearly 20 keys in his possession, some of
which they have been unable to have
Identified, and may possibly be from this
side OF the river, as all the keys are miss
ing at the Wakefield residence.
The police ran in May Brit:on and Lou
Perry last night, who were out on jam
boree and making the rounds. This
morning Magistrate Wiyill fined May
Britton So for being drunk and S25 for
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