Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1912-09-10
MAY DIG Up
THE BODIES
OF VICTIMS
Authorities Try to Solve Mystery Of
Crimes at Vile
Resorts.
HAMMOND, ILL, IS STIRRED.
Confession of Miss Ford Believed
to Be Far From Com
plete.
HAMMOND, ILL, IS STIRRED

victims of wholesale murders in
West Hammond, Ill, twelve OF
whom are said by Frances Ford to
have taken their death draught from
a s.black bottle" kept in notorious
resort, may be decided on as re
suit of his Investigations. said Cor.
oner Peter Hoffman of Cook county
yesterday. The Ford girl, whose rev.
Citations have made the most start
ling features of the crusade institut'
ed by Miss Virginia Brooks, has not
told all she knows about the West
Hammond dives, the coroner be
lieves.
A formal warrant for the arrest Of
the young woman was issued yester.
day by the county Judge under hel
real name, which is said to be Mrs
Ethel Parker.
Meanwhile Miss Brooks arranged
for conference with Charles F. De.
woody, division superintendent Of
the federal department of justice
regarding conditions in West Ham
mond. She is seeking the coopera'
ton of the federal government in
the prosecution of violations of the
Mann white slave act.
The narrative of Miss Ford, relat-
ed yesterday to Coroner Hoffman and
Assistant County Attorney johnson
while being carefully guarded by
the officials, is said to include among
other things the charge that several
murders were perpetrated in the re-
sorts of West Hammond.
1t is reported that twenty-one
men died under mysterious circum-
stances from the resorts of the vii.
lage the past year. Only three OF
these, however, are matters of rec
ord, and the facts concerning them
are a mystery.
John Messmaker, it is said, was
drugged and later hypodermic in
lection of poison was given him be-
fore he died, Aug. 10.
At least two other men are said to
have met similar fate within
twelve months.
States Attorney Wayman took up
the matter of preparing to investi-
gate the allegations of graft and
crime in West Hammond made by
Miss Virginia Brooks and others.
The facts, it is said, will be pre-
sented to the September grand jury.
The questioning of Miss Ford was
delayed owing to activity of agents
composed of West Hammond saloon
keepers. AS the girl was being TAX
en- to the Office of the coroner sever
al men were seen following and act
ing suspiciously. The detective, be-
lieving the men to be representa-
tives of the resort keepers. who it is
believed are making an effort to get
possession of the girl and send her
out of the city, entered descending
elevator with his charge and hur-
ried her from the county building
without entering the coroner's Of
flee.
Another Singing occurred Thurs
day night at Burnham, a nearby sub
urb, adding another chapter to the
history of the war against vice in
that village and West Hammond. j.
l.. Darling, clerk of the Burnham
school board, and William A. Schroe-
der, both of whom are working with
Miss Virginia Brooks in her crusade
against vice and graft, were assault
ed.
Miss Ford, after being taken to
dinner at downtown hotel by de-
tectives, became suddenly i'll. At
first the police believed she might be
feigning, but two physicians who
examined her declared she was near
collapse from nervous exhaustion.
She was removed to the Bridewell
hospital for treatment.
In her statement to Coroner Hoff-
man and the police, Miss Ford told
OF bottle which she said always
was kept behind the bar of a saloon
and which she always understood
was to be given to persons under the
influence of liquor and who were
thought to have considerable money
in their possession.