Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-01-16
DEATH PENALTY
WILL Be ASKED
FOR ELLSWORTH
Hanging to Be Demanded By the
States Attorney for Slayer of
Rock Island PaWnbrOker.
CRBIR A COLD.BLOODED ONE.
Demeanor OF Murderer Following
Deed Shows Contempt With
out Trace of RemOrse.

Capital punishment will be de-
Inanded by States Attorney Floyd
g. Thompson for James Ellsworth
alias Arthur Miller, 81 years old
slayer of Jacob Schaul, Rock Is
land pawnbrOker, on the night OF
Nov 30.
Trial Of the case is set for 2
O'Clock Monday afternoon and is
expected to create much interest.
r.. II. Railsback of East Moline has
been appointed by the court to rep
resent Ellsworth. who Saturday
pleaded not guilty to a charge OF
murder when arTaigned in court
following indictment by the grand
jury.
Whether Ellsworth will change
his plea to one of guilty before
Monday is a matter of conjecture.
It is the opinion Of many that
SchauIs slayer will rest his case
with Judge w. T. Church in the
hope that through such a step he
may avert retribution on the gal
lows, rather than take chances with
q jury
Considering the remarks made by
Judge Church in passing sentence
upon Ben Ganahl, wife-slayer, how
ever, there seems but small chance
that clemency will be shown ELS
worth Imposing flat term of
IA years in prison on Ganahl, Judge
Church said: Were it not for
the extenuating circumstances and
conditions surrounding the crime
which you admit committing |
ir1
fencing you to death. Your plea
of guilty moves me to no show of
; leniency."
The crime for which Ellsworth
will be asked to pay with his life
is one of the most coldblooded re-
corded in the history of Rock Is
land. About 10 o'clock Saturday
night, Nov. 80, 1918, Ellsworth.
alias Arthur Miller, alias Fred
Nelson, entered the pawn shop of
Jacob Schaul, located on Second
avenue between Nineteenth and
Twentieth streets. Asking to be
shown a. suit of clothes which he
stated he desired to purchase, Els
worth was taken to the rear of the
store by Schaul. Turning to his
supposed customer the pawnbrO-
ker found himself facing a revolver
in the hands of the other who or
dered the pawnshOp proprietor to
throw up his hands. Instead of
doing so Schaul grappled with ELS
worth, attempting to secure pos
session of the gun. The would-be
robber fired point blank, the bull
let taking effect in Schaurs stom-
ach. Following the shot the wound
ed man succeeded in wrestling the
weapon from the hands of ELS
worth who fled from the building.
As he ran Schaul followed to the
sidewalk. firing four shots at the
Fleeing man. Gun empty, he stag
gered back into his place of bust
ness and collapsed in chair, weak
from loss Of blood.
His assaiIart, meanwhile, fled
through Spencer Square. Rock Is
land Police Officer Dick Kell, one
block south on Third avenue be-
1ween Nineteenth and Twentieth
streets. hearing the shooting ran
coward ne sound. Noticing a man
running towards him, Kell stepped
behind a tree to await his approach.
As he came up the policeman jump
ed from behind the tree and at the
point of a pistol placed Ellsworth
under arrest. He was taken back
to the scene of the shooting and
there identified as the perpetrator
of the crime.
Schaul was rushed to st. Antho-
ny's hospital where an examination
disclosed thai the ball had perfor-
ated the intestines. The nature of
the wound coupled with his weak
-ened condition occasioned by large
loss of blood caused his life to be
despaiTed of by attending physi-
CLANS. He expired at Z o'clock the
next evening.
Shows No RemOrse.
Ellsworth was lodged in the city
Jail where in a cOntanptOus state
Inent he declared that he was glad
he did the shooting and hoped his
victim would die. When informed
of Schauls death the murderer re
marked profanely that he was glad
10 hear it. He stated that he felt
no remorse for his deed and would
repeat the performance were he
placed in the same situation again.
During his Incarceration in the
.light-hearted, carefree manner that
is unnatural, showing no signs of
Throughout legal pro-
ceedings in his case he has main
tanned an insolent, contemptuous
bearing, utterly defiant of law and
order.
Is EX-COnVict.
1t is felt that should his case be
tried by jury. his demeanor if not
changed would result in sure con-
viction and sentence to death. Ellis
worth. known as Miller, was found
TO have served time in Nebraska
penitentiary and is declared by the
Davenport police to have been the !
man guilty of much stickup work |
on the Iowa side of the river prev |
ious to the Staying of Schaul in this !
city.