Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-02-16
Four GueIzow Murderers
Hanged During Hearing
on Petition.
JUDGE PHONED NEWS
Jennings, Negro, Also Fails to
Get Favor of Court and
Follows Whites.

SAICdSO, cSD. 1o.--c1Ve muTQer6re
were hanged in the Cook county jail
today, four of whom were executed
while counsel were vainly trying to
obtain stay order on the ground
that their clients were insane and
one after habeas corpus proceedings
in the federal court had been denied.
The four were Frank Shiblawski,
Ewald Shiblawski, his brother; Phil
lip Sommerling and Thomas Schultz,
slayers of Fred w. Guelzow, Jr.
truck farmer, who was robbed and
murdered in cold blood in the out
skirts of the city last October.
BLACK ONLY ONE TO WEAKEN.
The fifth was Thomas Jennings, a
negro, convicted on finger print evil
dence, of the murder of Clarence
Hitler, railway official whose home
he attempted to rob in September,
1910. Jennings was the only one
of the five who required physical as
sistance to mount the scaffold.
BROTHERS ARE FIRST.
The Shiblawski brothers were first
to mount the scaffold and the drop
had scarcely fallen when a bailiff
from Judge Mckinley of the super
ior court rushed into the jail office
and summoned Jailer Davis to court.
The command was not obeyed and in
stead Chief Deputy Peters telephon-
ed. the Judge that two men had been
hanged and that the execution would
proceed unless a formal writ pre-
vented.
PLAY FOR DELAY.
No writ was issued, and Sommer-
ling and Schultz followed their COM
panions in crime on the gallows.
Representatives of the states at
torney's Office resisted the attempt to
delay the execution and told Judge
Mckinley the petition alleging insan-
ity, which, under the law is a bar to
execution, was presented for the pur-
pose of delay.
This was hotly denied by counsel
for the condemned men and a wordy
alteration occupied the minutes in
which the four were being prepared
for the gallows.
DIE DURING HEARING.
Judge Mckinley declined to per-
NIT the petition to be filed until It
had been read. The prosecutors In
sisted the petition, which was sign
ed by Rev. Mr.. Repinski, was not in
accord with the facts.
Word that the sentence Of the
law had been carried out was taken
to Judge McKinley's court while Rev.
Father Morris, one of the clergy who
had visited the condemned men in
Jail, was testifying to his opinion
that the four were insane. The pro-
ceedings were dismissed without fur
ther ceremony.
BODIES GIVEN FAMILIES.
81 am informed execution has TAX
en- place" said Judge Mckinley, $50
there is no use in going on with the
proceedings"
/ After the usual formalities the
bodies were given to representatives
of the families for burial.
i JENNINGS LAST TO GO.
Counsel for Thomas Jennings, col
OEou, the ullu muTueTeT sentenced 10
die today, while the executions of
the Guelzow murderers was occur
ring, were arguing before Federal
District Court Judge Lands that the
rights of their client had been invad-
ed by the Introduction of finger print
evidence in seeking to convict him
of the murder of Clarence Hitler, a
railroad official, whose home Jen-
nings sought to rob.
PETITION Is DENIED.
Argument on a writ of habeas cor
pus was made before Judge Lands.
Jennings counsel declared that I'm
ger print evidence was inadmfssible
because Jennings had been compelled
to give prints while he was In Jail.
Judge Landis denied the petition
fled for Jennings and he was hanged
at 1918.
SUPREME CoURT REFUSES.
Springfield. H., Feb. 1.-THE gu
preme court today denied a motion
, for writ of supersedeas to stay the
execution Of the Guezlow murderers.
8