Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-09-19
NO LYNCHING BEE
& Andit VITO Killed Mayor OF Thorn
son Safe in Mount Gar
roll jain.
FUNERAL OF VICTIM TODAY
Wound of the Assassin is Not Fatal
Whole Community
is Stunned.

William Meyers. the bandit in jail at
Mount Carroll for the murder of May
or Wayland F. Bennett of Thomson.
although badly wounded, Keeps his
nerve.
Mount Carroll has been overrun
with strangers and Sheriff Doty last
evening declined to allow any more
people to see the deSpcTadOcs. Myers
wound. while serious. is not fatal DR..
Colehour, the county physician, dress
| ed his wounds. Meyers is in bed, but
| Johnson or Ryan. as his name is be.
lieved TO be. is in a jolly mood. There
will be no lynching.
The funeral of Mayor Bennett will
be held this afternoon at o'clock
at the Methodist church.
After sweat box investigation
| lasting several hours one of the men
arrested in Thomson Saturday for the
murder of Mayor WayIand F. Bennett
is said to have admitted his identity.
| He is believed to he John Powell of
| Chicago. son of the superintendent
of the city water pipe extension de-
partment
The other prisoner. the one who
| fired the shot. persists in calling him
self Billy Meyers" but his companion
says this is not his true name. Pow
ell. alias John Johnson, has declared
repeatedly TO Sheriff DOty and States
Attorney Markley that he does not
know his companions real name. He
| says he knows him only as Joe" 1t
is known that Meyers. as he chooses
to call himself. is native of the West
Side. Chicago. and his identity will be
established in few hours.
Detective Gives Tip.
The sheriff and states attorney will
not disclose how they identified Pow
ell. but it is said the tip came from
Chicago detective, who read of the
killing. The question was put to him
if his name were not Powell, and no
is said to have replied:
Yes. but | don't want my father
to know about it. have caused him
enough trouble already
1t was also learned that the card
found on Powell. which was issued TO
+. =. Ryan, as a member of Division
No. 3OS. Amalgamated Association of
Street Railway Employees. of North
America, is the property of F. p. Ryan
of Harrison and Aberdeen streets. Chi
cagO.
Ryan is brother of Aid. Ford ID.
Ryan of the Nineteenth ward. Chicago.
and was the victim of a robber last
spring. His watch and $50 were taken
from him; also his membership card
in the Street Railroad Employees as
-,
Union Traction company.
The robbery was committed in his
brothers saloon while he was asleep
in a back room. The finding of the
card in Powell's possession clears up
the mystery as 10 the identity of the
thief.
Tragedy ~ sole Topic.
The tragedy Of Saturday in which
Mayor Bennett was sho; and killed is
the talk of the whole countryside No
other topic was discussed yesterday in
the towns of Mount Carroll. Savanna
and Thomson. the village in which the
crime was committed. hundreds OF
persons drove to Mount Carroll yes
terday from Thomson. If miles dis
tant. to get a glimpse of the two
bandits. but Sheriff Doty refused ad-
mittancc to all except officers of the
law and newspaper men.
Meyers. the murderer. was taken
in hand carly yesterday morning by
Sheriff Doty and States Attorney
Marklcy. who endcavored to force a
statement from him. He maintained
that his right name was Billy Mey-
ers, and declared he had no perma-