The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1904-01-28
.CHOULS ROBBED DEAD
Chicago vandals Steal From Iro-
quois Victims.

Chicago, Jan. 22.-Tnree self-con-
fessed ghouls, robbers of a woman
victim of the Iroquois fire disaster,
are locked up at the Harrison street
police station.
Louis WITT, saloon-keeper at
Dearborn and Randolph streets, sign,
ed a confession before Captain Glib
bons in which he admitted taking
S210 from the body of Mrs. e. j.
Trask, of Ottawa, H., and implicat-
ing Charles Conway, 153 South San.
CANON street, Thomas Mccarthy,
1919 Archer avenue, and stranger
from st. Louis in the crime. McCar-
thy and Conway, who are walters,
| also signed confessions in which they
stated that money had been given
| them at various times by WITT to buy
| their silence. The st. Louis police
have been notified to arrest the
fourth man, to whom WITT admitted
that ne gave $12,
On the afternoon when the Iroquois
theater burned and the dead were
piled in heaps in Randolph street,
| Mrs. Trask was carried in a dying
condition into Wits saloon. A ply
stefan and two assistants worked over
her for some time, but she finally
died. Mccarthy, VINO was acting as
extra waiter in the saloon, admitted
that he had opened the woman's dress
in an attempt to help the doctor. In
their confessions the men say that
the money and also a watch taken
from the body were given to WITT.
Police Had Been Accused.
I'VE have worked hard on this
case" said Captain Gibbons. "The
police were accused Of taking the
money, and / detailed Detectives
Collins, Wrenn, O'Connor and Johns
| ton to work on the case. When Pc.
hceman Grady called at the saloon to
take the body to CAROLS morgue,
WITT gave him $11 and the watch.
He claimed that was all The money
on the body, but when 1t was identi-
fed by relatives different story was
| told My men traced the body to the
saloon, and We soon had a confession
from WITT. l have asked the mayor
to revoke the license of the place.
| 'Witz was the brains of the affair.
He gave the other men money to keep
their mouths SHUT. Mccarthy recelv-
ed $3.50, Conway was given $40 and
the man from st. Louis received $12.
| Witt is SuIIen.
The men in the cells at Harrison
street differ widely in their demean-
or. Witt, who is short, red faced and
stout, was sullen.
/ 81 took the money and gave some
of it to thes other men," ne said. II
have made my statement. That is
all that have to say about it,"
'"This is awful" said Mccarthy 81
would never 9s -,b hfaxs accepted the
ployment. was ad t,na ou ~ - ,,v e
man at Wits. When .ha uo,aan MS
brought into the saIoon assisted q
S,aSr in operating on her.
l heio her a1ilihs. When opened her
q dre ssS ,nta Saw a roll of bills. I handed
them to Witt. l also gave him the
watch. Shortly afterwards Witt gave
me some money. He didn't say what
it was for, but I understood that it
was to keep my mouth shut 1
think the money I received at vari-
GUS times from WITT amounted to
$3.50"
Other GhouIs' Acts.
Rumors of terrible happenings on
the night of the fire have come to the
police. In one instance it was said
that man with his pockets full of
women's ears had been led by greed
for ear rings and jewelry to venture
into the burning building.
Another story had it that police
man had struck and killed a ghoul
caught in the act of robbing a body.
Frightened because the thief was
dead the policeman is said to have
left the corpse to be taken for that
of fire victim. The police discredit
the rumor.
Perhaps the most terrible tale of
all is a report that men were seen
cutting ring-laden fingers from wom-
en-, who were still struggling in their
death agony.
One body which has never been
found is that of Mrs. Frank R.Green-
wald, 1895 Magnolia avenue, who per-
ished in the fire with her little son.
Mrs. Greenwald had $1,000 in dia-
monds on her person, and consider
able money.