The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-04-30
START HUNT
FOR REHM'S
MURDERERS
Police Search for Two St.
Charles Men Who Have
Disappeared.

AuAO q, Liz April oV.-A pOllCo
dragnet was thrown over northern
Illinois today for James Witt and
Henry Cooper, Of St Charles, whom
Dupage county authorities wish to
question in regard to the murder
of Chief Of Police George Rehm at
West Chicago, early yesterday
morning. Witt and Cooper are
friends of Mrs. Marion Browne, and
Mrs. Elsie Belts in whose automo-
bile the police have been told the
slayer Of the West Chicago chief
fled the town after the shooting.
The women are in Jail at Wheaton
but maintain no man was with them
on their motor trip and that they
know nothing about the murder.
The authorities have been told that
Cooper and Witt were with the wO-
men at St. Charles before and after
the shooting. Patrolman Harry
Crawford of St. Charles says he saw
the women drive away from the
Witt home at st. Charles at $3.50
a. m, about three hours after the
murder at West Chicago. St.
Charles is only eight miles from
West Chicago. Wits home and
that OF Mrs. Browne and Mrs. Belts
are near each other in the out
skirts Of St Charles on the east
river road.
The police were also told today
that two automobiles, a roadster
and a truck, loaded with lumber
stolen from the Ward Lumber COM
pany of West Chicago, sped south
from West Chicago Immediately aft
or the shooting of Chief Rehm. As
the truck raced down the road II
spilled lumber along the highway
for almost a mile The trail led to
the Lincoln highway concrete pave
IMent~-s-ea,
Saw Automobile.
Frank Damianus, q fireman on a
Northwestern switch engine at Wesl
Chicago, says that he saw an auto
mobile answering the description
of that in which the two women
rode, come into West Chicago, fol
lowed by a truck Just before the
shooting. He saw the truck stoI
and back into the lumber yard
while the car went on about a hall
block and stopped as though to wait
for some one.
One of the theories Sheriff George
Leinecke of DuPage county is
working on is that this lumber may
have been spilled from truck
owned by Witt. Witt has been
building a garage at his home. He
has several automobiles and trucks
Not much is known about him
or Cooper in St Charles. excep,
that they are brothers-in-law
Both came to the town about a
year ago. Both have always seem.
ed to have plenty Of money, al.
! though Cooper's occupation is MOI
known. Witt has been supposed tc
be an automobile trader. He has 8
wife and child. They were gone
today. Cooper has not been seer
since yesterday morning. HI
boarded with Mrs. Belts, a widow
Mrs. Bowne's husband, Leo Bovine
IS employed as a railroad man..
Both Cooper and Witt have dis
appeared" Sheriff Leinecke sale
this afternoon. I'VE have evidence
that they were with the two WON
en- early Friday morning, and havt
learned that the women were seer
coming out Of Wits yard aftel
daylight a few hours otter the mur
der.
"If these two men know nothing
OF the murder it is strange tha
they should run away, AS soon a:
they heard that Mrs. Bovine ant
i Mrs. Belts had been taken into Gus
tody they lost no time in leaving
st. Charles. Cooper has not beer
seen since early yesterday morn
ing, and Witt disappeared yester
day afternoon. They did not re
turn to their homes last night. TIL,
fact that they were with the won
en- the night Of the murder ant
that they have disappeared fndi
Gates to me that they are the mel
we want We have made every ef
fort to find them. but until nov
have had no success"
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