Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-02-25
John Findley Murder Case Will be
Given to the Jury To-
morrow.
DEFENDANTS MIND A BLANK
On Occurrences That Led Up to
BradIey's Death-Made Drunk
by Whisky.

| having been occupied mainly with re-
buttal testimony Of character witness
| fer the deceased. Arthur Bradley, the
| following stating that they knew him
| by reputation TO be n peaceable and
| law-abiding citizen during his life
time: Fred l.. Tubbs. f: V. Ramser.
Eugene Blair. George Tubbs. Bert Saw
age. DR.. s Il. Hall, John Sundine, W.
f. Clark. Robert Nelson. Otto Gamble,
Mayor c. i. Skinner, of Moline. DR.. Il.
c. j. Meyer. II. W. Entriken, o. w. An
! derscn. Postmaster George Mckinley
of Moline. NJ. j. McEniry. f. MOrey,
/ Frank Skinner. Charles Woodyatt, Jo-
seph Kerr, Clarence skinner and Ora
RutIeGge. Several of the witnesses
were fellow-members of Bradley in
the naval militia. Eugene Palmer,
marshal of Cambridge. said defendant
bore a bad reputation while resident
of that town several years ago.
The defense rested shortly after 10
o'clock this morning with the intro
Guction of the testimony Of Oscar Pc
terson and Emil Sandberg. bartenders
at Al JohnsUn's saloon. Jack Warren
and Officer Nostic Starofsky. The
two former. while on their way home
between - and l o'clock on the night
of the shooting. met Il man assumed
to be Findley walking along Eleventh
street and Fifth avenue. SandbergI
recognized the man as Findley. Both
stated that he staggered slightly. 4
Starofsky testified to having noticed
the bruised condition of defendants
face the morning after the tragedy.
Warren said Findley was intoxicated
when he reached the hall where the
mClders were in session.
FIndIey's Mind a Blank.
John Findley's mind was u blank
from the time he left the moldeFs'
meeting at the Industrial home halil
until he awCke the next morning at
the Moline police station. This is the
substance of his statement given on
the witness stand yesterday afternoon.
He was employed at the Moline Pump
works. He is molder by trade. He
had been off duty for a weel, owing to
illness. Saturday afternoon he visit
ed the factory to draw wages that
were coming to him. He left the
pump company about 3 o'clock and
reached his homo at 8. In the interim \
he had three drinks of whisky. Eating
supper at o'clock he started for In
dustrial hall, arriving there at $3.50.
On the way he dropped into Bobke'
saloon, where he had three more
drinks of whisky. After reaching the
hall his senses began to desert him.
The only person he could recall recog-
nizing was Joseph Feeley. He did not
even remember who presided and had
no recollection of having addressed thel
meeting, as he-waS represented TOD
have done in the testimony of Benton
Davis, who was chairman of the meet
ing, and Feeley. Findley identified the
32-calibre revolver that lay before him
on the reporters stand. and stated
that he carried it in his right hip
pocket. He had never been arrested
before. The morning following the
tragedy he discovered bruises on his
nose and both sides of his face. He
did not know how or when he received
them.
Had Been Drunk Before
On cross-eXamination the defendant
admitted that he had met n woman
before going to the meeting and that
she accompanied him t6 Bobke's sa-
loon. She drank soda water. He me
and Second streets Findley reit-
terated his statements that he was I'M
able to recall any of the occurrences
that he participated in after leaving
the molders' meeting. including his
statement To the officers when placed
under arrest. that he was again max
ing fool Of himself shooting blanks: /
that he had had quarrel with
Charles GOetzman during which he
cursed all those who belonged to the
Naval Reserves. He admitted that he
had been under the influence of liquor
before. but denied that he was of an
ugly or quarrelsome disposition when
i'm his cups. He denied that he had
had trouble on one occasion with a
resident of Cambridge. Henry county.
in which he was said to have drawn a
revolver on his adversary. He stated
he was ~ years of age. unmarried and
made his home with his mother and
sister.
bradley of OuarreIsome Disposition.
Fifteen residents of Moline
were placed on the stand by the de-
Tense To show that Bradley was known
by general reputation To he quarrel
some and domineerinC. Particularly
50 when drinking. The state objected
To the admissibility Of this testimony.
but was overruled by the court after
an extended argument by the defense
in support of its position that it had
a right to throw light on the charac
ter of the deceased. a. to whether he
was a man who might have made il
necessary for Findley To have adopted !
the measures re was accused IF hav- |
ing resorted To TO defend himself.
The following witnesses testified 1
that BradIey's reputation was that |
he was quarreisome: {. p. \. Free /
burg. Charles Larson. Samuel Ryer-
son. John Anderson. Daniel McClof- /
sky. Ernest Waring. Gust Nyden, /
Charles STANCE, Harold Hemenway, J