Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-02-26
SAYS THIS CITY
IS RENDEZVOUS
OF BAD CROOKS
Sheriff r. E. Wyckoff of Benton
County, Iowa, Comes to
Get Southworth.
TRACES CRIMINALS HERE
Claims That Rock Island Is Head
quarters for Worst Band of
Thieves in West.
TRACES CRIMINALS HERE

That Rock Island is a hiding place
for desperate band of highwaymen,
robbers and thugs of all descriptions
who are operating in the middle west
was the startling statement made
this morning by R. E. Wyckoff, ,sher-
if of Benton county, Iowa, who ar
rived in the city to take charge of
James Southworth, alias George Car
penter, the fellow arrested Friday
by Sheriff Burners deputies. One of
Wyckoff's deputies, ]. E. Ruhl, made
a special trip to Des Moines and Sc
cured the requisition papers for
Southworth from Governor Carroll
and they are expected from Spring
field tonight or tomorrow morning.
Sheriff Wyckoff stated that the
middle west is infested. with the
worst band of outlaws in history and
as proof that Rock Island is a place
of refuge for them, named four men
who had been directly traced to this
city.
ROBS SHERIFF's FATHER
One named Cummins held up Mr..
Wyckoff's own father some time back,
stopping him on public highway
and placing the muzzle of gun at
his head, relieved him of $500. Cum
Minis was traced to this city and then
he was lost. A man named Scott,
who also pulled off big job around
Bell PLANES, was likewise traced to
Rock Island. Southworth, the man
over whom such a fight is now being
made as we'll as his pal who escaped
and is now believed to be working
on a farm south of the city, were also
named by Sheriff Wyckoff as proof
of his assertion. He stated that
Southworth's companion answers the
description of Charles Alley.
TWO STOLE HIDES.
According to Mr.. Wyckoff, South
worth and Alley, on Feb. 5, stole %
beef hides and two horse hides val
ued at $3.50, and belonging to Peter
Teeman at Bell PLANES. They then
stole rig and took the loot to Mar
ion, Iowa, where they turned it over
to a party named Maxim, who was
in collision with them and who has
since confessed and is now aiding
the officers to capture the two pen
From Marion, the men went to Ce
fdar Rapids, thence to Clinton and the
supposition is they took the interur
ban from that place to Rock Island
The horses were abandoned at Cedar
Rapids, and the shoes, bearing the
name of the blacksmith who shoe
them, have been removed from tn,
horses and are being held as evi
dence.
Southworth's real name is though
to be Behel. This morning he go
into communication over the lonl
distance phone with a man of tina
name in Rockford, who is an attor
ney, and it is understood on goo,
authority that the two are brothers
Southworth said over the phone
Wont you please help me GU
again" indicating that he had bee
in trouble before. The answer mus
have been in the negative, as South
worth replied, "All right, them" an
after being handcuffed, was again lie
to his cell.
Desperate efforts of attorneys t
remove Southworth from the custC
dy of Sheriff o. L. Bruner have thu
far been futile. The man was brougf
? up for trial in Magistrate Smith
r court Saturday afternoon and
: change of venue taken to Georg
r Nissen's court, where the case Wa
o dismissed. John Looney, attorne
:, for Southworth, then ordered Col
e stable Goldberg to take charge of tt
y man, and the constable was just stel
S ping forward to obey when Deput
S Sheriffs Siemon and Miller came u
r and reading capias issued out
the county court, grabbed the prisol
er from under the very nose of IL
g very much chagrined township of
II Ger. The deputies took the prison,
v to the court house and he was fort
= with locked up in the county ia
Il Every effort is being made today
o take Southworth from the sherit
II but Mr.. Bruner remains firm al
stated this morning that he wou
hold on to the prisoner until he W;
turned over to the Iowa officers
he had to fight every one in III