Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-06-08
DIES IN A CELLAR.
The Sad Termination Of Fritz
Greve's Night Out.
QUARRELED WITH HIS ooNRADE

And Today Wofknea Discover HIS Dead
BODY In . Corner OF the basement ef the
Rock Island Public BaIlding-Cireum-
stances That Look Suspicious.
Workmen on the Rock Island post
Office building. at the corner of Six
tenth street and Second avenue,
were beginning their days labor
when early thi morning they came
across the corpse OF man which lay
n ar wall in the basement. The
body was shortly afterward identified
rs that of Fred Greve, q brieklayer,
by II. Roepke, a fellow tradesmsn.
who claimed that he was An old-time
pal of the deceased.
How the unfortunate man met
death it is quite difficult to deter.
mine. The superstition of MANY 10
that he was crawling around in the
building while intoxicated last night
in search of place to lie down when
be was precipitated into the base
ment, sustaining fatal internal in
juries, while others think he natur-
ally crawled in there and lay down
and died. But there are circumstan-
ces about the affair which do not
appear just right and which are
questionable enough to arouse sus-
picioa. The body was lying On the
right side while the head was resting
on the right arm. Greve's coat and
vest we're badly disarranged, his arm
being out of the. left arm Of the coat.
His hat lay a couple of feet away.
No one but Roepks seems to know
anything of Greve's movements last
night. Let him tell the story:
''Fri.z and we're old comrades. We
were both bricklaye rs and had been
workiog on a school building at Col
fax. Iowa. until few days ago. We
struck Rock Island yesterday. in
tending to start out this morning in
search of employment. Each of us
bad little money, which we spent
freely in drinking. Last night we
were pretty badly intoxicated.
Parted With Angry Words.
81 can't just recall where it was
or how it occurred" Roepke contin-
ued, in nervous manner, .sbut
Fritz aud had a quarrel. 1t was in
a saloon. ] hated to part with the
old boy after we had bummed so long
together, but he got so mean-you
know he has a terrible temper when
he is drinhing-that it was neces-
ssry. Bat we shook hands ald / babe
him good bye. That was the last
saw Of my old comrade alive. 1 was
full as goat at the time and tried
to get lodging At q hotel, but bong
refused l went down into the rail-
road yards and slept in a box car.
This morning started out to hunt
up Fri,z-of course We were 6ruok.
when We quarreled. supposed that
he was run in and called at the police
station, where l was told that man
had been found dead in this place.
And sure enough, as l suspected, it
was Fritz"
Greve. according to Roepke's story,
is about IS years of age and a Ger
man by birth. The only relatives be
he has in this country, so far as
Reepke knows, is an aunt, who re-
sides in Nebraska.
The IaQuest.
The body was removed to Knox's
undertaking rooms. where it was ex-
amined by DR.. j. +. Assay. who found
slight wound in the head, evil
IDENTIFY inflicted by q sharp instru-
ment, and bruises on both limbs.
Dr.. Asay said it would be i'm pos ssh de
to determine the extent of the wound
in the head without a pos:-aortem
examination, although he said death
might have snsusd from exposure
following ply steal collapse brought
on by excessive drinking.
In Greve's p ,cksts were found $5.yI
and a gold watch. the ease of which
was indeuted. The surroundings in
the buildings do not Justify tie
theory that Greve fell from any higher
than she basement dividing wall, or
else he would not have landed where
his body was found.
An inquest vas conducted over the
remains by Coroner Halves with a
jury composed OF Charles Hodgson,
Thomas Cox. Lawrence Kramer. F.
j. Wiviil, j.. X. Johnston and J. K.
Scott. and a verdict that death was
due to physical collapse and expos
| ure was returned.