Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-08-02


Others in Gang.
Besides the five men which the state
officers and deputies are now confident
belong TO the gang of which Ward,
Reeves and Brown were members, cor
respondence unearthed seems TO prove
that there were a number of other men
implicated with them.
At least a dozen different men are
named in the various letters and tele-
grams found. all of whom seemed to
belong to the same group The Off
GERS are taking strenuous steps to
round up the other members, and ar
rests in the case can be looked for be
fore long.
Assistant County Attorney Realff
Ottesen stated that a strong net OF
evidence was being woven around the
three men arrested last Saturday
We are working steadily on the
matter" he said, and from the evil
deuce unearthed thus far, we feel con-
fident that we will have the goods on
them before long"
After dilgent search IL was d1scoY-
cred that the automobile in which the
crooks intended to take keairns 10 the
blind" room to make the second haul
of $4,000. was kept at Mason's garage
in Davenport.
4
the depot when Keairns alighted from
the train last Saturday afternoon, and
would have taken him away at once
had their plans not been frustrated by
the timely arrival of the officers.
Second Scene in Moline.
Too careful TO again try the same
place. the swindlers set the stage for
the second fleeing in the Manufac-
turers' hotel in Moline. A room was
engaged in that hosiery some time
ago, and, after being stripped OF fur
niture, was fitted out with fake tele-
graph instruments, telephones and
big blackboard.
1t was here that Ward, Reeves and
Brown intended to make their second
killing. Everything was in readiness,
the stage was set, and the curtain was
all ready to rise on the second and last
act of the play. Then it was that the
officers, acting on the story told by the
f1eeced 'rube," stepped over the foot
lights and stopped the plct-
Had Printed Clippings.
In the pockets and travelling bags Of
the gang were found printed clippings.
supposedly from some sporting jour
nal. telling of the huge hauls made on
different occasions by an unknown
gamester Of prodigious luck. On the
clippings were printed the picture OF
Brown.
These clippings. the officers believe,
were printed especially for the use OF
the gang in carrying on their game.
/ They were shown to the victims, who,
when they read of the hauls of the IN
known gamester, rose easily to the bait
placed before them.
Attorney Louis Roddewig has been
engaged by Brown to handle his case,
and Attorney Henry Thuenen will rep
resent Reeves and Ward.
Constable Phil KahIes Monday
/ served a warrant charging Ward,
Reeves and Brown with the crime Of
conspiracy The warrant was issued
on information filed by County AttOr-
ney Henry Jebens, before Justice of
/ the Peace Phil Daum.
/ Immediately after the reading Of the
warrant, Ward piped up.
How many years can they give me
/ for that?" he asked, jocularly.
Find PhOny Money.
/ Two suit cases, a grip and a steamer
trunk were found in the room in the
/ Manufacturers hotel, in Moline, in
| which the men planned 10 swindle
/ Keairns out of the $4,000 which he
/ had agreed 10 bring back.
| The tray of the trunk was piled with
| the telephone and telegraph instru-
ments, ink wells, pens, and all the rest
/ of the small articles which make up
/ the fittings of an up-to-date office.
| In the bottom of the trunk were
| huge stacks of newspaper clippings,
| cut exactly the size of a dollar bill.
| On the top of one of the stacks lay a
| $40 bill, and. as the stacks were bound
! together with rubber bands, they ex-
actIy resembled piles of paper money.
] When he told his story to the sheriff
| of Shelby county, KeairneS told with
| staring eyes of the huge stacks of
money in the room in which he was
swindled.
They were piled around IKE cord
wood" he said.
Besides the imitation coin and the
| office fittings, a large number of pic
lures of famous turf men, race horses
and jockeys were carefully packed
away. They were used in the blind
room to adorn the walls, and lent a
truly spOrtive touch to the scene
Arrests Are Expected
! While Sheriff Eckhardt denies any
! knowledge of the names of the other
! two men who, it is believed, belonged
/ to the gang of which the trio held here
are mem ers, it was learned yesterday
/ that his representative had taken the
| leaf of the register at the Manufac-
turers' hotel in Moline, on which the
men had registered.
| State deputies are hot on the trail
| of the two men who visited the hotel
! last night, and arrests are expected in
| a short time.