Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-07-26
MURDER CHARGE
NOT PREFERRED
Coroner's July Finds Mexican's
Death Accidental-Man Who
Fired Shot Is Freed.

No guilt was attached to Salomi
Rodriquiz by the coroner's jury yes
terday afternoon at an inquest held
at the East Moline undertaking par
lors over the remains of Gavino
Basquez, enormously called George
Penon in last night nights Argus,
who died Wednesday morning as a
result of a revolver wound incur
red in a box car home at Silvis on
the night of July Il.
According to the story of three
Mexicans who testified at the in
quest by means of an Interpreter a
group was gathered in the box car
home of RODRIGUEZ on the night OF
the shooting and as Rodriquiz was
handling his gun it was accident
ally discharged, injuring Rodri-
quiz's thumb and the bullet pene-
trating Basquez's leg. 1t WAS said
that no quarrel preceded the shot
and that the men had been good
friends for a number OF months.
Conflicting statements as to the
number of shots fired were mace,
the Nexicans maintaining that only
one was fired and Wesley j. King,
special agent of the Rock Island
lines. who arrested RODRIGUEZ, and
Marshal II. T. Blanks of Silvis
stating that from all appearances
two were fired since the one bullet
lodged in Basquez's leg and one bull
let hole was discovered IL the roof
Of the car.
RODRIGUEZ himself told the story
of the shooting. his testimony com
pleting the hearing. The jury con
ierred but a minute and returned a
verdict of death due to a hemmoT-
age in a gunshot wound in the leg.
accidentally inflicted BY this YER
diet ROdriQuiz. who had been in
custody for the past two days, was
made a fire man.
! The fact that the one who shot
was injured at the same time that
Basquez was wounded evidently
had weight with the jury for it
would appear that if the shooting
had been intentional the shooter
would have avoided injuring him
self Lay off the revolver carry
ing after this" was the parting
warning of the coroner to the large
group of NeXiCanS present at the
inquest Had there been no wit
nesses to this shooting it would
probably have meant peniten-
tIary sentence for RodriquiZ. You
NAV sometime get into serious
trouble by the practice Of carrying
firearms so the best thing to do is
yIrn
any guns on you it will be jail
sentence and not a fine" The dusky
bIack-haired railroad workers nod
ded seriously apparently indicat-
ing that they fully understood the
situation and would tiguratively
bury the Ratchet
According to States Attorney
Thompson. who was present at the
inquest. Basquez is the same man
who was held in the county Jail two
years ago charged with being an
accompIiCe in the murder of Mich
olas CraCraft, f1oater, who was
found at the point of death in Sill
Wis Basquez was later acquitted
and il is said the man who really
Is supposed TO have done the shoot
ing in the CraCraft case has not
been arrested to this day.
Gavino Basquez was born Feb.
IS, 1894. in Old Mexico. He came
TO this country in 1913. and set
tied in Silvis one year ago. Sur
viving are the widow, his parents.
one sister and two brothers. all in
S1lvis Funeral services were held
at $50 this morning in st. Mary's
church. Rev Leon Van Stappen Of
fIciating. Interment was in st.
Mary's cemetery, East Moline.