Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-02-21
PAPERS RULED OUT
WiImerton Not Allowed to In
troduce Looney Publications
in Pending Trial.
DEFENSE NEARLY THROUGH
Assault Case in the Circuit Court
Apparently Drawing to a
Close.

| Ii IuG res uupIiOn DeIOT6 JuuS0 GS9
in the circuit court this morning o
the trial of w. W. Wilmerton charged
with assault to commit great bodil!
injury DR.. f. NJ. Pearce testified tt
being a dentist in the Safety building
at the time of the occurrence; that he
! heard two shots ad stepped to the
! window, which was open, and there
| saw Looney on the opposite side Of
the street diagonally across and east
of the telephone pole, somewhat west
of tie alley AS he looked out LoOney
was just in the act of firing his re-
volver. Then there was a report from
the side of the street and Looney fired
again and started towards the Safety
building was intercepted by a laundry
wagon and proceeded south to the
sidewalk to about the plumbing estab-
lishment and WiImerton was behind
the pole and then started for his door.
AS he was moving rapidly across the
sidewalk and looking west LoOney
fired again. He was in front of Red
digs plumbing establishment and took
deliberate aim and fired. There was
afterward discovered a hole through
one of the front plate glass windows
two feet from the lower portion of the
glass, and one in the framework of
the glass. After Looney fired the last
shot he turned and walked west, broke
his revolver, and then started to go
back towards Wilmerton's place where
he was intercepted by Reddig. Then
the police came.
Saw Fray from a Buggy.
Dr. c. T. Foster stated he was in
the vicinity of the Safety building
when this occurrence happened and
was driving west in his buggy when in
front of Blakeslee's studio he heard
two revolver shots in rapid succession
and looking up he saw Looney and
Wilmerton facing each other with
their guns up and smoking. Looney
was on the north side of the street
between the north side of the street
car track and curb and Wilmerton was
on the south side of the avenue over
three feet from the curb when he first
saw them. They were both holding
revolvers with arms outstretched |
After the first two shots were fired |
Looney turned and ran behind the pole |
Just west Of the alley and Wilmerton /
IAN in the direction OF the pole N .
'front.' of the building. Then they each .
ired one or two shots apiece; then
stuck his gun out and it
lid not work. There was no explosion
Jooney turned and ran in a south
westerly direction across the avenue
Ind going around an automobile and
wagon and got behind a pole approx
nately so feet from where Wilmerton
vas standing. LOCney started towards
Wilmerton took aim and
he revolver cracked. Wilmerton
tarted across the sidewalk towards
he Office door. LOoney stepped out
nd took deliberate aim and fired and
hen turned west and broke his re
Oliver. reloaded it and started back
asst towards the Wilmerton building
yhen Mr.. Reddig came out and spoke
D LOOney.
L. L. HanCe testified he was adver-
sing manager of the Journal at the
me. He found d bullet in the Journar
flee alongside of a radiator immedi- =
-ely after the occurrence. There was d
ole in the west plate glass in the -.
ont of the Journal office about two :
'et from the center and about four =
,et more or less from the west wall y,
the Journal Office. IN answering
lese questions he was then shown {, I
.ece of casing on which the bullet
I'D entered and he identified the same ,
5 being the one in which the bullet
I'd entered. The casing was taken
ON The front of BaTtIett's tea store =
WiImcrtOn the stand. .
w. w Wilmerton was called by the G.
,fense which sought to prove by him c
wv, when and where he became ac- y
tainted with LConey and in a general n
sy his connection with LoOney ND 20 v
@ time of the explosion in the a
2oney building to which the state is
jected and the court sustained the e.
lection. The court also refused to
low the introduction of the Looney a
wspapers. The defense offered to
ow also how much money Looney Il
d borrowed from Wilmerton, how
Ich he gave Looney at different
mes and how much he paid for the fC
per. The defense also attempted to CT
ow where Wilmerton had received al
onymous letters and offered by VIII tn
,rton the articles published in the de-
per. The court permitted Wilmer S.
! to show that Looney had Dor II
we'd money from him and that he w
Id several shares of stock in the fe
VS.. Wilmerton testified about the Or
h of April, 1908, Looney had threat c.
ed him and had also said he would
the whole business and everything
had and get you before you get
of Rock Island" Then there were as
number of specific questions put to en-
lmerton in reference to his dealings Isl
h Looney down to the time of start ev
up of the Morning Journal, all of Of
lch were objected to and the court
tanned the objections. Wflmerton
tilted that Looney had told him -.
ut his ability to shoot with a re- W.
yer on a number of occasions and -
that he was a good shot. 80
Z CLUB OF SHRINERS