Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-02-01
SENTENCE GANG
FOR ROBBERIES
Three Russians Convicted o.
~ Freight Car Plundering Get
From l to 20 Years.
CONFESS TO OTHER CHARGES.
Sentences to Run COncurrently-
Harold Smith Ordered Sent to
Reform School.

Sentence was pronounced by
Judge Carl E Sheldon in circuit
court yesterday afternoon upon
Sam Elashik, Efrem KovaIchuk and
John Fedick, East Moline car thieve
band. The men were given terms
of from one to 20 years in the state
prison at Joliet on charges of burg
larry and larceny.
The crime for which they were
convicted was the burglary and lar
ceny of Burlington freight car at
Barstow on July p, 1918, in which
the men made away with nearly a
thousand pairs OF shoes consigned
from the Clinton Shoe company of
Clinton, Iowa, to Oklahoma mer-
chants, with total aggregate val
Ne of 1.389.60.
.,SFollOwing their arrest the men
I confessed to the theft and to 9TH
ers which accounted for a quantity
of loot of all descriptions reaching
a total value of $4,000, which. was
found stored in Elashik's dwelling
house at 1906 Eighteenth street,
East Moline. When arraigned in
circuit court. however, the men de-
MED their guilt. T. p. Sinnett and
p r. IngIeson of Moline were ap-
pointed as counsel for the defend
ants. In the trial of the case J.
+. Kelly appeared in the place of
T. p. Sinnett.
Proof of the guilt of the defend
ants, required much work in dig
ging out vOluminous details on the
part of States Attorney Floyd z.
Thompson and his assistant, f. l..
Eagle, although the evidence Of
fered was convincing and over
whelming for the people.
The same three men were also
indicted by the grand jury for
stealing three pigs belonging to
Frank Wake, a farmer near Bar
\ stow. The theft occurred Sept II,
S8.
Sam Elashik and Jim Kovalchuk,
a brother of Efrem's, who is yet at
large, were also indicted for the
larceny of an automobile which was
the property of Marvin Mumma of
Moline. The car was stolen July
II, 1918.
Admit Other Grimes.
1t took strenuous and lengthy
argument on the part of the attor-
the defendants to plead guilty to
the remaining charges for which
they were indicted 1t was only
when il was made plain to them by
States Attorney Thompson that if
they stood trial and were convicted
he would recommend that the addi-
tionaI sentences be imposed to not
run cOncurrently, that is that the
defendants upon their release
would be rearrested and reconfined
for the additional crimes of which
they were found guilty When the
situation was finally made plain to
them, each plead guilty and was
sentenced to from one to 10 years
for larceny. This sentence runs
concurrently with the term imposed
for burglary and larceny, however,
and upon good behavior will permit
the defendants to he turned out of
prison within a few years.
Lad to st. Charles.
Harold Smith, alias George kush-
man, II years of age. son of Mr.
and~H1rs. Charles Smith. 1877 Thir-
nfth street, was brought into
court and ordered committed to the
state school of correction at st.
Charles. The Smith lad was one of
the five youths who with William
Suggs, paroled negro. were indicted
for the burglary and larceny of the
Joseph Katz clothing store on Sew
enteenth street, between Third and
Fourth avenues. The crime was
perpetrated Sept. so, 1918, and