Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-01-06
George Crane and Joe Jennings in
Cells Awaiting Grand Jury
Action In Session Today.
FORMER is BELIEVED SLAYER
story of Shooting and HoIdup as
Told to Detective by Prisoner
LIS Made Public.

Sheriff Jake Wigers' murder is to
be avenged.
George Crane and Joe Jennings
are in custody of the Rock Island
police charged with being two OF
The gang of three automobile ban
dts responsible for the Staying of
the sheriff in a revolver battle Mon
DAY night of last week on the Coal
town road in South Moline. The
third member of the gang is still at
large, but it is expected he will soon
be in custody.
One of the men in custody has
confessed, and the police say with
out doubt Crane is the man who
fired the shot that killed the sheriff
and that his two accompIices are
also desperate criminals. The ar
rests and confession practically
close one of the most sensational
criminal cases in the annals of
Rock Island county.
The January grand jury convened
today and it is promised that both
prisoners will be indicted at once
for murder and then the whole mat
ter will shortly rest in the hands of
jury in the circuit court before
which States Attorney Floyd E.
thompson will demand a verdict of
capital punishment.
The fact that important arrests
had been made in the case was
known to newspapermen of the city
Tor several days. The police admit
ted as much last Friday, but asked
that the story be withheld while
clues were being run down to give
the state perfect case, and also to
guard against the possibility of VIC
lence, which was felt to be a real
danger, with public sentiment so
thoroughly aroused. The facts
herein stated were made known
yesterday at a conference at the |
city hall in which all tri-city news !
papers were represented and at |
which it was agreed that the story /
should not be released before pub |
location of the regular editions to-
day.
The two men were placed under
Errest Friday.
One was apprehended in Rock Is
Land and the other in Moline.
Those who made the arrests are
Detectives Tom Cox and Dennis
Bennett and Patrolman Charles
Ginnane, all of the Eock Island po-
lice department.
Detective Cox is the man who
took the lead on the trail of the
murderers and, with but a nominal
clue TO begin with, in the way OF
descriptions by members of the
Davenport automobile party that
was held up, he handled the case
with a speed and sureness most
commendable The arrests consti-
tute the biggest catch ever made
by this experienced officer.
In a statement of the case, Detec-I
tive Cox said: Il have been unable
30 establish that the gang of rob
hers reported by Jack and Tom
I3abb, taxi drivers for Bert Carhan,
which chased them, together with
their passenger, Bonnie Lewis, into
this city from the Lewis gallon
house the night of the murder in a
Dodge sedan, as being the same ,
gang which gave battle to the sher-
III and his forces. There has been
no Dodge sedan automobile report
ed as stolen and no such car has
been recovered abandoned in the '
.ri-cities. 1t is possible, however,
hat there might have been two
yangs of robbers.
Traces Party In Buick.
"On the other hand, I have been
lble to trace the Buick roadster, '
Itolen by the murderers at S:45 /
Monday night from 1857 F'ifth-and- !
B-half avenue. This car is the /
of George E. Kline, 1912 7
ninth avenue and in it the gang
rove to the district south of Mo- f
inc wherein gallon houses are To- | i
ated. The holdup men drove past t
he camps, but did not hold them 1
lp, as there were too many persons '
n the vicinity. They went beyond I
he farthest camp, turned back and r
Tere then, unknown to themselves, F
by Sheriff Wigers and his S
arty. The gang decided when they 4
aw the Davenport car approaching
hat they would not return to this Il
ity empty-handed. In the Daven- +.