Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-11-19

streets and sought George Gray at the
Gray quarry. Gray listened to his
story, to the tale of a wife and two
babies starving, crying for food and
of landlord ready to turn them into
the street. Lococo was faint and
gasping and he wept as he begged
Gray for a little money, the money
that Gray owed, a very little money.
but enough to stop the cries of his
wife and children and save the shell
ter he had won for them.
Gray listened and then turned away
Lococo says he laughed at the tale OF
his misery. Then Lococo shot him
and tried to run home to his starving
wife and children to tell them that he
had to do it and to cry in his wife's
arms. But they caught him and he
spent the night crying in a cell, not
so much for the deed he had done as
for the wife and children he had left
at home and who might starve before
he could get out to help them.
In the city prison Lococo sobbed
out the story of the deed. 1t is as
follows:
81 am &c years DID," he said. "All
ways before / got my pay. Little as
It was, never had any trouble getting
my money. but this time they would
not pay. My wife was sick. My ba-
bies were hungry.
I'VE had nothing to eat in the house.
/ myself had been without food for
two days. So the sick wife and so the
babies. who cried, cried, cried all
night long.
$50 what could do? There was no
money to pay rent. The landlord was
going to put US on the street. My
money was due me ON the 18th of Oc-
tober. ! had worked 10 days. My
pay checks called for ST. 1t was little
enough, but. oh, we needed it so badly.
"They told me 1 could get it at Gray
Brothers Office on the 5th of Novem-
ber So l waited from Oct. Is to Nov.
5. All this time no money.
ION Nov. the wife was sick, and
did not get to the office in time. 1t
was closed. On the 9Th, when l CALI
ed at the Office. the girl smiled at me
from behind the counter and said, It's
no use. You are too late now. You
must come again on the 2Sth.'
worked have been paid, why not II"
''She said. You are too late. Yes
terday was the day; and now you
cannot get anything until the 2Sth, the
next pay day.
Desperate, and thinking of the wife
and babies at home and the landlord,
who was after me for money. decid- |
ed to appeal to the Italian consul. But
he could do nothing for me. He said
there were many. many just such
cases, but nothing could be done.
Il stood it as long as I could. All
night long my babies-one is is
months old and one months-cried |
for food. There was nothing in the |
house. This morning / decided TO |
make a personal appeal to Mr.. Gray. |
] had a pistol that 1 had for many |
years in my pocket. I went directly |
to the quarry at Thirtieth and Castro |
and said to Mr.. Gray. Why |
can't l have my money!
Without answering me he turned
away. I stood for a time watching |
him and then followed on down Cas-
tro street. At Twenty-ninth and Castro
streets | walked up TO him and said:
mr.. Gray. won't you please give me
a note to your cashier so that / can
get my money? My wife and babies
at home are starving TO death
He turned and started toward me.
I don't know whether he intended to
hit me. but he started toward me and
shouted:
L can do nothing for you
Then I drew on; my gun. pointed
L toward him aud turned my head
away. / was not looking when | shot.
But | shot him. God forgive met"