Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-06-24
Earl Chism, Held at Clinton,
Admits Robbing Two Post
offices in Illinois
WHOLE FAMILY DEsPERADoEs
Three Other Brothers Are Under Ar.
rest in Denver, and the Father is
Serving a seventeenYear Sentence
in Joliet, for tho Murder Of His
Wife-lowa News.
special to Times-Republica,,.

Special 10 Illness n0PuUlCtlIs
Clinton. June 24-Earl Chisn, liv-
ing near Bloomington. H., who. with
| his brother. Roy Chisn, was arrested
week ago on the charge of vagrancy
| and held while the Clinton police made
quantity of stamps. valued in the ag-
gregate at $50, had come into their
possession, made a confession TO Off
Ger Edmond Burke, of the Clinton po-
lice, and Federal Officers Patterson and
Allmen, Sunday evening, declaring
that he had robbed the postoffices at
Reynolds and Taylor Ridge, ILL.,, early
in the present month. His confession
completely exonerated Roy, his older
brother, whom the police suspected was
his accomplice. Jesse, another brother
of the self-confessed bandit, with his
wife, have lived in Clinton for the past
few weeks, but left yesterday, and
cannot be found. Three other broth-
ers are under arrest in Denver, Col,
suspected of having had hand in
robberies in Illinois. The father, Mer-
rift Chism, formerly OF near Blooming
ton, is serving a. serenteen-year sem
tence in Joliet for the murder of his
wife.
The two Chism boys left Peoria about
five weeks ago according to Earl's
statement to the police, and spent
some time in Rock Island. and Moline.
While they were there one day the
first week of June they started down
the Rock Island tracks towards Milan.
but Roy turned back ard Earl con-
tinued his journey alone to Reynolds.
He reached the town at dusk, and hid
on the outskirts of the village until
IL o'clock at night, when he entered
the town, and went to the postoffice,
and forcing the rear window with a
chisel, entered the office and took a
quantity of postage stamps and some
pennies, about a dollars worth all told.
Leaving the postoffce he broke into
a hardware store and the depot, but
found nothing in either building except
a few pennies, and a monkey wrench,
with which he broke the chain on
hand car and pumped the machine to
Taylor Ridge.
At Taylor Ridge the boy, who is
about 10 years of age, says he broke
into the postoffice, took Il small guam
tity of stamps and little money, and
going back to the railroad, proceeded
to Rock Island on his car. reaching
which city he put it into ditch and
went quietly home, finding his brother
fast asleep.
Young Chism is a typical boy ban
dit. He boasts of his craftsmanship
with his automatic maya zine 80 caiibre
rifle. All of the members of the family
there are eleven sons and daughters
are said to be dead shots. The father,
Merritt Chism, has completed ten years
of his sentence in Joliet. during most
of which time legal fight for his re-
lease has been kept up, the defense
declaring that Chism's victim was in
sane and was taking their two little
children away to kill them when the
husband slew her with Il club.
Shortly after the murder Of their
mother, and their fathers arrest the
boys removed to Normal. ILL.,, where
their rough riding propensities and