Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-11-18
CHICACOAN SLAIN
BY RIVER PIRATES

Chicago, Nov. 1S.-River pirates"
or the Illinois river repaid the kind
ness of a young Chicago man with
death. For s40-a fortune among the
"beachcombers"-the modern pi-
rates killed William F. More, on his
gasoline launch, threw the body over
board and let the launch float down
the rivH'.
The first report on Friday of the
death of More, who lived at SO South
Aberdeen street, stated that he was
killed by floating over the dam near
Beardstown, ILL.,
Further information gathered by DR..
d. L. Hyde, a cousin, 3941 Irving Park
boulevard, and Harry Herdman, with
whom More lived, developed the fact
that More was murdered About $40
he carried with him was missing when
the body was taken from the river at
Beardstown
DR. Hyde and Mr. Herdman are con-
fident three occupants of the shanty
beats on the river between Peoria and
Beardstown killed More. Persons in
Beardstown said they saw three men
with More the night before when he
anchored his craft for the night. The
authorities at Beardstown are not in
yestigating the case, according to Mr.
| Heruman.
More left here last Tuesday with
/ two boats of his own construction. He
vas a mechanic and made a speciality
CT building marine machinery. One
o. the boats was a gasoline launch
propelled by an eight cylinder en-
CINE.
Lashed to the rear of the launch
VAS a freak hydroaeroplane which
More also had constructed. 1t was
driven by an air propeller. When
travelling More had arranged his ma
chinery so the water propeller of the
launch and the air propeller of the
hydraerooplane operated at the same
time, giving the craft greater speed.
The hydrOaeroplane was called the
Five Dollar Bill" 1t only drew four
inches OF water and practically was
uEsinkable.
More has made the fall trip down
the river for the last II years He
was thoroughly familiar with the riv-
er the locks, dams and other obstruc-
lions in the channel For several
years he was employed on ships on
the gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic and
the great lakes. He was a skilled
navigator.
With the $40 he expected to be able
to live along the southern Mississippi
until spring. He had done it many
winters before.
The first word his relatives and
friends here had from him was a post
card, mailed to MIR. Herdman from
Peoria on last Wednesday. More
stated that he was encountering diff
ficulties in making the trip down rne
river
saloonkeeper at Beardstown told
MIR. Herdman that More, with a COM
panion, was in the saloon at $50
o'clock Thursday morning. They
we're seeking information about the
r:y er and did not buy anything. The
companion was unknown to the sa-
loonkeeper, according to his statement
10 Mr.. Herdman.
4 But the statements OF the saloon
keeper do not agree with those of the
lockkeeper II miles below Beardstown
and a watch found on the body The
lcckkeeper said be was awakened at
about $50 o'clock the same morning
by cries of distress. The two boats
unnamed, were coming down the
river.
The position OF the boats was re-
yersed The launch was tagging be-
hind and the hydroaeroplane foated
ahead The boats struck the dam;
the hydroaeroplane, drawing less wa
ter dropped over and the launch
stuck. No one was on the boat when
il struck the dam, according to the
loCkkeeper.
The lockkeeper notified the fisher
men along the river and they started
a search for the body. II was found
several hours later below the dam
Only IS cents was in the pockets, and
a watch The watch apparently had
stopped at the time the body was
thrown overheard into the water
Is. A well defined blue mark across