Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-01-18

George Kushman," aged IA
years, is not George Kushman but
Harold Smith, son of Mr.. and Mrs.
Charles Smith, 1877 Thrity-fifth
street. Such was the startling dis
closure that the lad revealed on the
witness stand in circuit court yes
terday.
Smith, alias KUshman, was in
dicted for the burglary on Sept. so.
1918, of the Joseph katz clothing
store located on Seventeenth street
between Third and Fourth ave
nues, with William Suggs, parolei
negro, Harold Kirkcamp, aged 20,
Raymond Carrigan. aged H.. Ray
Bramlett, alias Harold Pearson,
aged 10, and Arthur Lindel, now
dead, aged about 49,
On account of his extreme youth
and this being his first offense the
Smith lad was released on prOba-
ton after he had plead guilty to
the crime Charges against Lin
dell were necessarily dropped due
ITO his death, while all but Kirk
Camp and Suggs plead guilty and
were either sentenced to the re-
formatory at Pontiac or were re-
leased on probation. The boys who
confessed to the crime were sum-
moned for witnesses by the defense.
The Smith lad stated that since
his arrest Oct. l, his parents were
unaware OF his whereabouts. He
gave an assumed name in order
that they might not know of his
seen his mother and father since
leaving home Sept. %.
Bramlett was placed on the stand
in behalf of Suggs and Kirkcamp,
his testimony cOrroborating that OF
Smiths. The two boys asserted
that in company with Carrigan and
Lindell, they broke in the rear door
of the katz store and tying into
rude bundles a considerable NUM-
Der of articles of wearing apparel
reaching an estimated value of
S195, carried them to an open spot
in the alley in the rear of the Col
Onial hotel near the Bert Duprez
garage. There the youths testified
that Kirkcamp and Suggs in taxi
ordered by Lindell drove up. The
purloined merchandise was loaded
in the machine, a large touring car,
and Bramlett said he told Kirk
camp, who was driving, to proceed
TO THE Five Points," located in
Davenport.
Just as the Iowa side was reach
s4'the car was stopped by the
bridge guard, and a Davenport po-
lice officer, investigating, discover
ed the goods in the tonneau of the
machine. The party was then TAX
en- to the Davenport police station. |
why do you tell a different
story on the stand than the one you
told the Davenport police officers?'
asked States Attorney Floyd |
Thompson of the Smith youth.
Tells of "Brain-bOx."
"They made me-" was the an
swer. The Davenport policemen |
have what they call the brain box
They put you in with four coppers /
and one hits you on the jaw and |
knocks you to the other. This is
kept up until you say yes to their
questions"
Boys Clear Defendants.
In the main the testimony of
Bramlett and Smith was corrobor-
aLlfG EdCu DOy maintained LndL
neither Suggs nor Kirkcamp had
to do with the robbery
and denied that either knew that
the property loaded in the car was
stolen goods.
Due to this unlocked for and sur
prising evidence quite contradictory
to that which he had expected,
States Attorney Thompson aband-
oned all efforts to prove Suggs and
guilty of burglary and
larceny and contented himself
with endeavoring to prove that both
defendants are guilty of receiving
stolen property, as set forth in the
fifth and last count of the indict-
ment-
Closing arguments were heard
by the jury just before court was
yesterday afternoon, the
Jurors receiving the case about 5
o'clock