Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-05-22
Florence Police Believe
They Have AssaiIant of
Mrs. FIaveIle.
NUMBER UNDER ARREST
Victim. Well Known Chicago
Charity Worker, Attacked in
Train Compartment.

and robbed in a train near here yester'
dsv was still living this morning. but
WAS unconscious from her wounds. Her
.ssaIIant escaped, but the police say
thew are on his track 4 separate in
restigation is being made by the
American vice consul
Later il was announced several ar
rests had been made. The police be
Iieve the assailant of Mrs. Flavelle is
among them
Later the doctors reported Mrs. Fla
velle better and hoped to save her
life
Chicago. Ill, May 22.-In compart-
uent Of a railway train bound from
Rome TO Florence. Italy, Mrs Mary E
FIaveIle. a prominent charity worker
in Chicago was found yesterday dying.
Cable dispatches said that when the
door of the coach was opened at Arez-
10 the unconscious form of the aged
vouan-she was 6S years old-was
found on the floor. She had been shot
through the right temple. After being
taken TO a hospital she revived long
enough TO say that a man had attack
ed her; then she lapsed again into un-
consciousness. In pocket under Mrs.
r1avelle's skirt was found a purse with
q letter Of credit for $1,000 on the nli-
nois Credit Bank. No handbags. tick
cts, letters or other impedimenta of
the traveIsz was picked up, but bag.
gage label lay on the floor. It bore the
name Mrs. FlaveIle."
Bloody Finger Prints.
On the seat lay visiting card bear
ing the name Miss Blanche Marie
Harcourt" On IL were finger prints
stamped IN blood Later Mrs. Fla
velle's handbag was found beside the
tracks
The brief story that Mrs. Flavelle
vas able to tell at the hospital was to
the effect that she had taken the train
alone at Florence She was sitting
alone in the compartment when
young Italian entered, pointed a re-
volver at her. shot and then robbed
her
Members Of the train crew said that
N the compartment next to that oc-
cupied by Mrs. Flavelle was a man of
about 80. His actions were not suspic-
ious, but he was observed to leave the
o~A nun Aut NTOUB sue dL ATEZZO.
He carried a satchel and at once jump
ed into cab. and later returned to the
station and took the next train back to ]
Florence.
The theory Of the police on the /
scene Is that the crime occurred in a 4
tunnel which lies Just outside of Ar I
rezzo- II was near the tracks at this !
point that the woman's vaIise and a I
pair OF woman's gloves. blood stained, /
were found.
At the hospital all efforts to extract I
tne bullet were found futile and last /
night Mrs Flayelle lapsed into a state .
Of coma.
Shock to Friends.
The news from Rome came as a
thock 10 friends Of Mrs. FlaveIle, who
mad lived all her life on the North Side.
NO theories were expressed. but chari-
table workers said that Mrs. FlaveIle's
Dest known philanthropic work was a
visitor in the broken homes" depart
ment Of the Legal Aid society. In the
course OF this work, which took her
continually into the foreign settle
ments OF Chicago. she came into close
contact with the Italian population,
and last night a conjecture was haz-
<foed that perhaps she might have in
cured at some time the enmity OF a
foreign resident who recognized her
on the train.
rms was hazarded. however, as the
lsintest Of possibilities, and il was ap-
combated by the statement
u Sirs- Flavelle that she had been shot
md robbed.
mrs. Flavelle was known not only as
eharity worker but as a globe trot-
eH- Ten years ago she made a pro-
ohged trip through British India and
ne countries OF southern Europe. A
eW weeks ago. March 4. she started !
N tour that was to take two years
or It's completion. She planned TO '
isit England. France. Italy. Russia
no other European countries She
En- her home at 23O6 North Clark {
ueet March 4. and three days later
sHed on the steamship Calabria for
Q Italian port. She was the only wo- Z
ian on board, and from this fact a ]
aeory was advanced last night by
ome Of her friends that some male
assenger had learned OF her plans, {
nat she carried funds in the shape Of 7
'aYeler's checks, that she was alone {
nd defenseless and an easy subject ]
pr robbery.