The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1910-08-20
OFFICER DIES.
SUSPECTS HELD
End Comes at $50 p. M
Friday.
POST -MORTEM IS HELD
Wound was Necessarily Fa-
tai, Say Doctors.
Two Suspects Arrested at Lima and
Brought Here--IIofhincs can Iden-
Police Unable to Connect up the
Two Crimes with Evidence.

/ After making brave fight for his
life, Jerome Hostetter, aged as, died
at the Marion City hospital last night
at $3.50 o'clock as a result of a bullet
| wound inflicted while endeavoring
to capture two thugs who are sup
posed to have held up and robbed lie
| Roy Hoffhines at the corner of Silver
street and Kenton avenue, Thursday
night.
Hostetter when apparently improv-
| ing. suffered a sudden collapse short
| ly after noon yesterday and gradually
grew weaker until the end. For an
hour before his death the physicians
at his bedside expected the arrival of
the death angel at any minute. He
| gradually grew weaker and passed
quietly into the great beyond-a man
| who died for duty's sake.
Internal hemorrhages were the di-
rect causes of death. Short'v before
| the end a hemorrhage showed ex-
ternally and the patient realized that
| the end had come. Knowing this he
met death as bravely as he faced the
daring thugs In the railroad yards on
| the night before and bade those about
his bedside goodbye. Mrs. Hostetter
and their four children were with the
husband and father in his last mo-
ments. The wife was at her hus-
bands bedside practically all Of the
time after he was shot until he died.
End Was Apparent.
DR.. II. L. Uhler, one of the surgeons
in the case, stated today that when
Hostetter entered a state of utter col
lapse at 1890 p. m. yesterday the re-
action had started and internal hem
orrhages commenced The change was
sudden one and the patient grew
gradually weaker with practically no
hope OF change for the better. II
then became apparent that there was
a perforation of the bowels. The post
mortem examination, held last night
at 7:30 o'clock at the Hess and Mar
ket morgue. under the direction of
Coroner w. II. Hlnklin. showed that
the bowels, the liver and the gall blad-
der had been punctured by the thugs
bullet. The post mortem was con-
Quoted by Drs. II. J. Lower and II. L.
Uhler. who had had charge of the
case.
The police department and head
the loss of n brave officer, one of the
Oldest men on the force. The author
ities, however. are going ahead with
the investigation which Just now Is
centered on two suspects, Howard
Wilson, aged "a, claiming New York
City as his home, and William Rodg-
ers, aged "a, of Boston, who were ar
rested AZ Lima yesterday and brought
here this morning by Chief Kline
felter.
Suspects Interviewed.
The suspects were interviewed by
a Mirror man at the city prison this
morning. Both very naturally denied
any part in the affair and they told
story that seems to hang together
pretty well. While admitting that
they were in Marion all day Thurs
day and all night Thursday night,
they claim to have been on the streets
here and TO be able to trace their
movements during all of the time they
were here.
Rodgers is the loquacious one. He
is ready and willing to talk at all times
The other one Is more discreet and
has little or nothing to say. Rodgers
says that he and Wilson got acquaint-
ed at Hornell, New York, working in
the Erie shops, They started west
together and arrived here Thursday
morning. They spent the day about
town and begged something to eat
In the evening they wandered about
the city and claim TO have asked for
nights lodging at the Cox livery barn
about 10 O'Clock. Told to come In
later they walked about town, they
say, until eleven and then went to the
barn, sleeping there until FIVE the next
morning.
Then they went to the union sta
tion, sat there while and walked
west on the Big Four tracks. Learn
ing from a section man that the Erie
track was some distance to the north
they crossed over through a corn field
and sat down to rest under a tree.
They came out and boarded an Erie
train west
This was about IL o'clock and at
that time they were seen by Operator
j. G. Sutton who reported the matte"
and their arrest at Lima followed.
Identifies But One.
lie Roy Hofhines, who went TO
Lima with the chief of police. stated
10 the Mirror today that he Is unable
to identify Rodgers as one of the men
who held him up as Rodgers appeared
to be too tall but he is quite positive
that Howard Wilson, the smaller or
the two suspects. is the one who went
through his pockets at the corner OF
Silver street and Kenton avenue. II
Is Hoffhines' belief that Wilson and
some one else held him up and that
Rodgers was not there unless he was
doing a picket stunt close by.
Look for Big Link.
But even with the identification,
the connecting of the two crimes Is
10 be a difficult matter Hostetter
could not give a description of the
man In the car he had covered with
his gun to whom he said. "come down
out OF that car, / want to look you
over, and be sure and keep your hands
out OF your pockets" The dead Of
| hcer did not even get glimpse of the
other fellow, the one who shot him,
Hoffhines, who was close to Hos
| tetter when the fatal shot was fired.
got only a heeting glance of the fel=
low In the window He did not shoot
l a. mir m