Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1917-12-31
FOUR MURDERS INVESTIGATED
During Year Ia EEqaests Have Seen
Held and $500 Miles Travelled bJ
Busy Official.
cnRoNER.S pEATM RECORD.

~
/ Eiectr0euti0n ....-....
t RnnawayS ......--'-.,
Sm0thering .......,..
Lightning ,,...,......
Accidental burns No.. .
hanging ...-.....st..
1 Excessive heat -.,.,..
/ Unknown causes ...... .
Six more inquests were conducted |
in Rock Isnand county this year than
last
4 The yearly report Of Coroner J. G.
Miller shows 148 Investigations con
Quoted while the number for the cor
responding period in 1916 was l4z.
Six murders have been committed
in the county since Coroner Miller as
| sumed his Office in December, 1916, nut
two are accredited to last year, being
in the cases of August Schenke,
whose dead body was found on Smiths
island near Andalusia, and Pedro
Martinez, who shot and killed Joe
LUZ Vale in the defense of the sane
tity of his home.
The four slayings this year were:
Mrs. Emma Ghys, killed by John
| Holmes, East Moline; James Vaseliou,
killed by John Makes. Rock Island;
Bandelio R. Pallan, murdered in box
| car in Silvis, and Peter Jelyek, shot to
death in Rock Island, by William Car
| ter. colored.
| How Patrolman Jay D. Mum. Rock
! Island, came to hs death has never
| been ascertained. He was found N an
! unconscious condition with a frac-
| tured skull. near the Rock Island
| brewery. So serious were his injuries
| he died an hour later. The coroners
/ iurv was unable to discover what
| caused his wounds and returned YER
| dict that he was struck by persons
unknown or received his injuries by
a fall on the frozen ground. 1t was
at first thought he had been assaulted
but this theory could not be suhstan-
] tiated and the matter remains as much
: a mystery as ever.
Victor Hernandez was found dead
: In a. box car near Warmers Crossing
!, and It was at first thought he mad
: been murdered but verdict OF accl-
= dental shooting was returned,
During his work as coroner Mr..
: Miller has Travelled $500 miles; sum
2 noned GIG witnesses; investigated 30
cases where no fees were collected
~ and collected $500 as coroner's fees,
= which sum was turned over to the
:, county. His earnings amounted to
; $1.610.
> Appended is list of the fatalities
y Of the county and surrounding terri
y tory during the past year.
70 JANUARY.
- S-~Jim Vasiliou. Rock Island, en-
l. ~ p 5fsrrs,r
. company, shot by John Makris.
!. 15-Anton Tuyvio, aged 2, died as re
w. suit Of falling into pail of boiling
water.
I 16-Edwin Duty killed and JOSEPH
" Swearingen bruised when Rocky
~ Mountain Limited on Rock island
q lines strikes Deere delivery trucl
~ on which the two men were rid
~ ing, at Thirteenth street crossing
East Moline.
u 2l-Patrolman Jay D. Mum of Roci
II Island police force, found witt
fractured skull near Rock Islant
Gu brewery. dies later.
TO 27-Robert Slapak. aged %, and Jos
eph Slapak, aged u, brothers, re
ca siding east of SilYis, killed OF
nc Twenty-third street crossing, Mo
line. by train No. / on Rock Is
u land, when the elder brother wa
on trying to rescue younger one iron
in front of approaching train.
n.y. FEBRUARY.
"a Mrs, Carrie Lerch. widow Q
prominent Davenport merchant
ell commits suicide by drinking car
III bolc acid, climax of despondenc
RS. since death of husband.
ne 10-Wiiliam Hodges, Silvis, switch
nj man, blinded by cold, struck b
fast passenger train at 5.35 a. II
led 11-Mrs. Fannie Brooks, Silyis, age
to "A, falls down steps; dies.
13-John Frahm, aged so, Davenpor
ted struck by automobile driven b
de- Michael Gold; dies.
or 15-John Strickland, East Moin
7as killed in elevator accident in Oh
rex cage.
c. 16--Jacob Schmoke, aged &C. foun
md found dead in East Moline cottag
a believed to have been result of e.
in posure
on 2i-Unidentifed body taken from Mi:
lal sissippi river at foot of Fifteent
len street, Rock Island
Elk. 24-William See, West Lebanon, Inc
'st- wealthy stockman, of asphyxiatio
ng. in DeSmet rooming house. Roc
aid Island.
mi MARCH.
BERNARD McCabe, aged 2, son
Mr. and Mrs John McCabe, Ea
Moline, killed in fall down stair
-, 14-Charles A. Nelson, aged SO, killt
a.4 in fall down stairs
30 17-Clarenee Martin. killed when tea
~ runs away in Moline.
aN IS-Victor Hernandez murdered
nse box car near Warmers Crossin
toi 31-Perry Walter, Quincy. aged
81, scalded to death in tub of waite
ace APRIL.
~ a--Malkom Johnson killed by Ro,
Island train in Moline.
'ihe Sam Williams of Amboy. commi
'la suicide by shooting in Burlingtt
'fk- station. Rock Island.
Ier- l5-John Kelly. aged So, killed
ON Rock Island by auto driven
at Richard A. Schaeffer
16-Frank Provost, aged 50, dies aft
- fall from window of Manufactu
II. ers hotel April 3.
lent l7-Ernest Christensen. Clinton. Low
nee killed in auto accident near Ra
ior- ids City.
is 1S-Hugo G. Wingate, in Moline, a
riz., phyxiated
laT- 2l-~John Collins found dead in Ro
Island box car in Moline.