Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-02-15
STRANGE Turmoil
FATE HELPS men
IN CIRCUIT COURT
Trio Under Indictment for Felonies
Escape Penitentiary Through
Unusual Situation.
WITNESSES CANNOT BE SECURED
Two Are Dead and Third in Critical
Condition - Mike Smith Gets
Light Sentence.

Fate played strange tricks with
three defendants III circuit court yes
terday afternoon. resulting in the trio
under Indictment for felonies usually
carrying with them long terms in the
penitentiary, being given short Jail
sentences on their pleas of guilty to
petty larceny,
The first was Mike Smith, who was
arrested with Sam Smith on a charge
OF burglary and larceny, the latter be-
ing shot by the sheriff's force in an at
tempt TO break away. The two Smiths,
whose names were assumed evidently
because of their fine American ring.
lived at Sans house in East Moline.
although the pair of Austrians were
not related.
The men were charged with break
ing into the chicken house of Mrs.
Anna Gillespie of this city on the ev-
aning Of Oct. 80. 1915, stealing fowls
valued at SIS. On Nov 4 the men were
bound over to the grand jury. and as
the pair neared the county Jail Sam
made break for liberty and was shot
by the sheriff's force, receiving injur-
les from which he later died
Chickens in Saloon.
The location of the stolen chickens
came about in an unusual way When
the Rock Island police raided a saloon
for alleged sale of liquor on Sunday.
the fowls we're discovered in the Gel
lar and the wife of the saloon man is
said TO have declared that two East
Moline men had sold the chickens. In
making a raid on an alleged East Mo-
line gambling joint, the two men were
arrested.
Yesterday afternoon States Attor-
ney Thompson agreed to take a plea
Of guilty to petty larceny from the
defendant, the value of the property
being fixed at S14 and the defendants
age at % years. Judge F. d. Ramsay
sentenced Smith to Is days in the
county Jail, which when served will
make a total of l20 days incarcera-
ton. and he was fined 81 and costs, the
defendant to work out the sentence at
the rate of $3.50 day T. P. Sinnett,
counsel for Smith, said if the case had
gone to trial he would have been pre-
pared to produce reputable citizens OF
East Moline who would testify that
Mike was an industrious and hard
working citizen until the chicken
stealing difficulty
Cannot Produce Witnesses.
Because two of the eye witnesses
the third and last is critically i'll with
Brights disease at Mercy hospital,
Davenport, States Attorney Thomp-
son was forced to take similar action
yesterday afternoon in the cases OF
Albert Wagner and Charles Carter,
charged with larceny and receiving
stolen property. Under the circum-
stances the prosecutor was compelled
TO accept a plea of petty larceny or
nClle PROSE- the indictment.
Judge Ramsay gave each defendant
40 days more in the county jail, which
would make a total of little over six
months Imprisonment, and fined each
81 and costs. Value of the property
taken was fixed at SIS and the age of
Wagner determined at 81 and Carter
at "a AS matter of fact, the value
of property, according to the indict-
ment. reached SITE, the defendants be-
ing charged with breaking into cars on
the Rock Island road, Sept. IS, 1915,
and to have secured journal brass,
brass engine bushing. 500 packages Of
chewing gum, a pair of mems shoes,
and ~ suits of mems underwear. Mr..
Sinnett appeared for the men.
Unusual Experience.
The three witnesses who claimed TO
have apprehended the pair while at
work on the larceny were Hugo Alvine,
Rock Island road detective. who was
shot and killed Dec last by Dan
Chasteen; ]. r. Reynolds, another spe-
cial agent for the road. who died sud