Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-04-25
HELD FOR MURDER
Joseph D. Hart Committed With.
out Bail for Killing James
Poppins.
DID NOT MEAN TO TAKE LIFE
Colored Man Says He Struck Harder
Blow Than He Intended
coroners Inquiry.

Joseph d. Hart, the negro who killed
the Greek, James Poppis. yesterday, is
held at the county Jail. without bond.
on a charge of murder.
The charge of assault with a deadly
weapon, entered before the death of
Poppis. was changed last evening TO
murder. Hart does not deny that he
assaulted Poppis. but he said the blow
was struck with the handle of the pick
ne first having knocked the head on
He says that he did not mean TO take
the life of the Greek, intending only TO
punish him for calling him bad name.
Poppis was STOPPING over, with his
back turned. when Hart brought the
pick handle down on his head strik-
ing him at the base of the brain Pop
pis remained insensible until his death
ensued at st. Anthony's hospital yes
terday afternoon at 3:45 O'Clock. The
assault took place in the morning at
8 O'Clock, on the Moline Water Power
company improvement. T B. Davis
is the contractor by whom the men
were employed.
story Told to Jury.
An inquest was held this morning
at the office of Coroner l.. V. Eckhart
in the court house. The jury was com
posed of II. L. Wheelan. foreman:
Robert Bennett, S. S. Hull. Charles
White, Ben SchriveT and Anthony De
voc. States Attorney ]. X Scott ex-
amined the witnesses. Policeman Sid
ney Pearson related his going TO the
scene of the assault with the ambul-
of -.
pital; of his arrest of Hart. who he
found surrounded by a number of ex-
cited Greeks. the colored man telling
him that he had attempted to run away
after he realized that the wound that
he had inflicted on the Greek was
more serious than he expected that it
would be. He had struck a harder
blow than he had intended The
Greeks followed him and halted him
with threats, one of them hitting him
in the back with a stone. Policeman
Henry Thode had a conversation with
Hart at the station, during which the
cOlored man told him practically what
he had said to Pearson. only he added
that he had struck the blow with
pick handle.
Witness Had Pick Handle.
w. A. Darling. the timekeeper. knew
both Hart and Poppis. but he did not
see the attack He was 200 feet away.
He found the pick handle, and exhib-
tied it before the jury. There were
no bioOdstains on it. Darling heard
yells, and saw the colored man run.
ming. with number of Greeks in pur
suit. He afterwards learned the cir
cumstances of the fight.
w. J. Spencer superintendent on
the work, was $50 feet away He took
Hart TO account for causing trouble,
and the negro told him that Poppis
had called him name that he would
not take from any living man. Mr.
Spencer said that POppis had been EN-
ployed on the work for seven months.
and was known as a peaceable man.
He was probably 80 years of age. He
could speak little English. Mr. Spen
Ger said the Greeks were greatly eXcit-
ed, and were standing about Hart.
some with picks in their hands and
others with rocks. but he quoted them |
and dispersed them, sending them |
back to their work with the assurance |
that their cOuntryman would be prop |
cry taken care or and that Hart would |
be delivered over to the officers of the |
law.
Did Not Hear Name Called.
John Gins, a Greek, was a witness
to the trouble between Hart and Pop
pis. An interpreter was called to eX
anime him. Gins said that the men
quarreled over the cars. each work
man having a car in which he wheeled
out rock. Hart said that Poppis had
taken his car. and asked him TO leave
it to him. Poppis did not heed the ne
gro and went away with a load of
rock When he returned. and was
STOPPING over picking up rock TO lift
into his car Hart struck him with the
pick handle Gins did not know wheth-
er Poppis had called Hart a name.
The verdict of the Jury was that