Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-03-10
Uses the Bed Clothing as
Rope in Jail at
Muscatine.
PUT DUMMY IN THE BED
Evidence of State Nearly Fin.
ished and He Thought
Himself Doomed.

Muscatine, Iowa, March 10.-(Spe
cial.)-Harry Jones, on trial for the
murder of Mr.. and Mrs. William Van
Wrinkle at Fairport, hanged himself in
his cell at the new county Jail early
this morning. He cut his bed clothing
into strips and twisted them into
rope which he used in suspending him.
self from bar near the ceiling. The
body was found at o'clock.
Evidence Nearly All In.
The prosecution had practically CON-
pleted the presentation of its evidence
yesterday afternoon. While it was all
circumstantial, it was so strong that
the prediction was freely made that
the jury would find the prisoner guilty
of murder in the first degree. Jones
apparently shared that conviction,
though he had never given sign to
his guards to indicate that he was un-
der any mental strain.
Left Dummy ON Bed.
The guard in the Jail said he was in
Jones''cell at 4: so a. m. After that, in
passing the cell door, he saw what he
supposed in the dim light to be Jones
asleep in his bed When breakfast
was taken to the prisoner at o'clock
the body was found hanging in a cor
ner of the cell, which during the night
was in the shadow and out of the
view of one passing the door Jones
had used his clothing and some of the
bed clothing in ingeniously arranging
a dummy, whiehshe laid ON his bed and
deceived his jailor
story of the Crime.
The crime for which Jones was be-
ing tried was one of the most cold
blooded in the history of this vicinity.
Mr.. and Mrs. VanWinkle, bride. and
groom of few months, were surpris-
ed in their bedroom on the night of
Dec. 4, 1907, and their brains beaten
out with a shovel and club. Blood was
found about the room, with other evi
dence of struggle, showing that the
slayer had overcome his victims only
after they had resisted TO the limit of
their strength.
Hunted for Year.
The day after the crime it was found
that Jones, who had been seen in Fair
port in half-drunken condition the
evening before the murder, was miss
ing. diligent search failed to find
him, and the aid of the police and Sc
cret service agents all over the coun
try was enlisted, reward of 81 900 be
ing offered for his capture.
About a year after the crime was
committed the first authentic clew was
found in letter from Jones writer
from Milan, Kan, to a sister living ir
Tennessee, which was noticed by the
postmaster. Sheriff Benham of Musca
finding and arresting Jones, who was
employed as cook for railroad con
struction crew.
Evidence In Strong.
On the way back to Muscatine he cd
mitted that he was Harry Jones, bu
denied any knowledge of the murde
of the VanWinkles. The circumstan
tial evidence against him was particu
larly strong; however. Articles o
clothing that he wore the afternoon be
fore the murder and which were fount
in the VanWinkle home, were identi
fed, and threats that he had made t,
several people to kill William Van
Winkle and his wife were repeated il
court. These threats disclosed a me
tive, Jones having said that VanWinkl
knew too much of his past life.'
Probably Killed Another Pair.
Several years prior to the Fairpor