Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1917-12-10
A DISPUTE ARISES
OVER DISTRIBUTION
Of REWARD MONEY
CAPTURE OF ESCAPED coNVICTS
RESULTS IN ARGUMENTS BY
POSSES 49, PASSENGERS LOST
AMOUNT TO Sc PAID AS GIFTS.

on Monday night passengers on an
incoming 10, o. * T.. car Were robbed
of yaluables roughly estimated 70 be-
worth $500 by maudIu and vicious
conyicts who escaped from Joliet pr.
son Besides losing their money and
iewelry .ae passengers were diveNei
OF their clcthmg and some o. hem
could lla1ord TO lose either All
authorities agree that without the all
given them BY the passenger, and in
terurban crew there would have been
no capture Now comes the story
Dispute over Reward
There seems 10 he a gordian knot
to unite as the result OF the capture
of ten of the thirteen escaped con
victs by Morris and Seneca folk At
the rate OF $40 each which the reward
provided by statute and paid out Of a
special fund Grundy county has $50
coming for the work of its citizens in
rounding up the conycts
There is 800 which will be paid
without question to Patrick Judge
city marshal Of Seneca. who arrested
the conyicts Miller and Moudeitch
while they We're resting in an ice
cream parlor in Seneca
But the Morris situation is difficult
Not a single convict was captured by
any one person alone While indy
iduals in several instances levelpd
their guns at the convicts and told
them to surrender. the man who or
dered the convict 10 give mp was in
each instance accompanied by from
three TO a dozen men
Many Catch Convicts.
And 1t was matter Of humorous
comment that if q convict had been
captured by each person who claimed
to have captured one. at least hall Of
the inmates of the penitentiary were
at liberty during the hunt in Morris.
Anyhow several Morris men have
had dlsagreements over the distrim-
tion OF the rewards and the prison of
ficials are swamped with letters and
kilograms and phone messages claim.
ing reward
Warden Murphy Clarified the stu.
alton somewhat last night.
Does Not Pay Cash.
There seems to be an impression
that we pay the reward here at the
prison, Mr. Murphy explained THAT
is not so, There is annual appropria. .
lion OF money for the purpose of pay
ne the statutory reward of $50 for
he capture Of any and every convict
who escapes from the penitentiary
The reward is not collectable for the
capture of men who have violated
parole.
"All the prison officials have TO do
with the distribution of the reward
Is 10 report that the conyicts We're
returned and who delivered them to
the prison officials Il is usual for
US when we know who is entitled to
thereward, to certify to the fact. The
matters is then adjusted by the f.
nance committee at Springfield.
The Remedy
1t is plain to be seen that the 500
Is going to stir NJ an old fashioned
rnmpus A simple remedy to Offset
any trouble would be for every moth
er's son who participated in that man
hunt to sign waivers to the reward
not excluding Pat Judge who made
the capture after being very explic +
lily tipped by Seneca civilians and
order the state 10 pay II over to the
seven or eight people who were de.
pfiyed Of their valuahes; none OF
whom can afford to lose them. The .
$500 would just about square the bin
and everything win then be to the
G. *