Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-07-07
2 KILLED IN RAID
ON A BOOTLECGER
Ray Williams, Alleged Owner of
Champaign Joint, and Po-
hceman Are Victims.
CHIEF BADLY BEATEN UP
City Official Fired Upon When Inform.
Ing Suspect of Arrest-Puts
Up Hard Fight.

Champaign, Ill, July Two per-
sons are dead and two others serious 1
ly wounded as a result of a police
raid yesterday On the place of Ray
Williams, bootlegger suspect. The
dead are:
Thomas Dodsworth, policeman,
shot three times by Williams.
Ray Williams. shot by Chief of Po-
lice Keller.
Those wounded are:
Albert Keller, chief of police. His
shoulder bone was broken by one bull
let, and another lodged in his arm;
severely beaten on the head.
Oliver Harding, shot in the leg dur
ing the fight.
NEGROES FLEE FROM CITY.
Reports that Williams was a negro
caused many negroes to flee before
they learned otherwise. Crowds in
the streets talked bitterly, and had
Williams been a negro, as at first
rumored, the officials believe a dem
onstration would have been made. AS
it is there was no one on whom to
vent the feeling, which ran high.
Aid was pledged to Mayor o. B.
Dobbins, who has put the big boot
leggers out of business.
"We have said all along that the
| defiance Of law by bootleggers was
anarchy" c. w. Groves, member of
the police commission, declared. 81
blame indirectly citizens who have
| censured the activities of the COM
mission and declared that they would
resist if an effort were made to enter
their homes in search of liquor. This
talk had its effect"
GO TO ARREST WILLIAMS.
Williams had been under suspicion
| for some time. Special detectives
made purchases from him and turned
in the liquor. Warrants we're issued
and Chief Keller selected officer
Dodsworth to accompany him.. Will
liams had made threats that "Dods-
worth would never arrest him" 1t
was known he carried a revolver and
a dagger. His animosity toward Dods-
worth originated some years ago,
when the policeman shot a friend of
his
Rumor of these threats had no eff
feet on Dodsworth, whose reputation
for bravery made him feared as well
as hated by the criminal element. He
was known as a man who would shoot
to kill if necessary, and several years
ago he shot negro murderer while
trying TO arrest him.
When the two officers came to the
Williams house Chief Keller sent
Dodsworth to watch the back door
while he entered at the front. A wom-
an, Mrs. Harding, and her son, Oliver,
were on the first floor. Keller ascend
ed the stairs, encountering Williams
at the top.
| SUSPECT PUTS UP HARD FIGHT.
Williams, ready for the visit, fired
at the officer. Two of the bullets took
effect and the bootIe-ger sought to
club Keller on the head and hurl him
downstairs.
A hand-to-hand struggle ensued,
with Chief Keller striving to wrest
the gun from the frenzied man with
one hand, and to extricate his own
weapon from his pocket He fired
three shots at Williams.
Before Williams fell he was able
to fire at Dodsworth, who ran up the
stairs, revolver in hand, to the aid of
his chief. DodswOrth fell with three
bullets in his chest.
Keller summoned aid, but Dods-
worth and Williams died in few
minutes.
HARDING ESCAPES.
Young Harding vaulted from a win
dow, bandaged his wounded leg, and
was last seen on the Big Four railroa
tracks. Keller does not know how
Harding was wounded.
! There were more bullets in Keller
and Dodsworth than seemed to be
accounted for by the empty shells in
Williams gun, and the fugitive will
be "sweated" when ,:e is arrested.
Williams had an unsavory record
He had done time" for theft. On one
occasion when sentenced in the coun.
ty seat courthouse he leaped from a
second story window and broke his
legs.