The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-11-16
ARREST. SAILOR
DESERTER FOR
GIRLS MURDER
Suspect With Poison
Vials Held BY Police
in Grant Park Case.

Chicago, Nov. 16.-Harold Potter,
a deserter from the Great Lakes
naval training station, was arrested
this morning as a suspect in con-
nection with the murder OF the two
pretty young women whose bodies
were found in Grant Park.
Potter was found to have an
empty vial, said by medical examin-
ers to have contained poison.
The arrest was made following
information obtained by the detec-
tive bureau that the two murdered
actresses had been seen with a
sailor prior to the murder. Officials
said he would be questioned further
today.
Kidnapped and Drugged.
Chicago, Nov. 16-tUnited. Press.)
That Mary Rhodes and Lillian
Thompson. young actresses found
dead in Grant Park here were kid
naped, drugged or poisoned and
then taken to the lake front and
thrown from an automobile was the
theory police used today in investi-
eating their mysterious death.
Finding of hat a short distance
from the apartment building where
the actresses lived with James
Meek and Robert Mccarthy, stage
electricians, gave the police the
KIDNAPPING theory. The hat was
found by a man who said the red
tail light of an automobile was just
visible as he picked it up. He took
the hat home and kept it secret, he
said, because he feared it might in
volve him in trouble with the police
The hat belonged to Miss Rhodes
and police believed the two girls
were either enticed or dragged into
the automobile while they were re-
, turning to their apartment with
food they had bought for mid.
night lunch. ....
Between the time they were taken
, away in the automobile and the
, time their bodies were found on the
i lake front, distance of more thar
a mile from any street car line
police believe they we're given Of
forced to take liquor which con.
tained wood alcohol, or to have
been given a drug
Police today were still searching
for the men who gave the myster
ious telephone tip which led to tn,
finding Of the bodies. The cali wa
traced to pay telephone booth il
the fashionable Stratford hotel.
One theory advanced is that tn
"tipster" may have been a guest a
the Stratford and may have wit
i messed the arrival Of the youn,
women Oh the spot where thei
bodies were found.
Coroner Peter Hoffman continues
today in the belief that if the youn
women died from other tha
causes that it was from a poison
Third Person Wounded.
Hoffman also contends that ther
was third person wounded. Fl
expected to drag the lake front te
day. Hoffman's belief that a thir
person was wounded was founde
on the finding OF four pools of bloc
on the ground near the girl
bdies. Neither OF the young won
en-, he said, could have lost th
amount of blood. Hoffman's exam
nation showed the actresses died ,
something taken internally"
The location Of the spot whel
Miss Rhodes hat was found favol
the kidnapping theory. 1t is lone
place and the girls could have bee
: seized and carried away withol
. attracting attention.
There wasn't any other machir
in sight," the finder Of the hat d
clared. 1T looked funny to me.
/ could just make out the red tai
light Of an automobile in the di
tance."
The hat was identified by NJ
Carthy.
All but two Of the five men d.
tanned yesterday we're released t,
day.
Police arrested Meeks and NJ
iCarthy and booked them on stat,
tory charges. They admitted the
had been living with the women.