The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-12-05
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gDDEPosN BOX

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srpe Lssssy lsssd1sta CAaRpss1
- II OFT taJeDo IA4ty BeodS
~ e1seoe 1sta.
Dan Drost. former editor q John
News whose associaa3on
Z rs the alleged hsad Of the Rock
Ind vice ring Terminated whek
eecs county authositiss Waee1 var
- me newspaper ana finally con-
gtcted Drost q crimtpat ltbAl, told
1t, investigators today II the
16nipulation Of safety deposit
- by whichshe was deprived Of
11,Soo Liberty bonds and war saw
NM stamps and IN $4,000 note
oven to him BY Loopeys
Investigators. however, Indicated
nat the subject was not one for
cejminal prosecution, and Drcst
this morning indicated that he
would secure Z writ Of attachment
agsinst the abandoned Looney
property to satisfy his claim.
According to Drost's story, while
be was in the employ of L0oney and
there seemed possibility of q ro-
nance between himself and
Looney's daughter, he decided to
rent a bank deposit box to keep his
yaluables. The plan met with the
approval Of the Looney family, but
John Looney suggested that the box
be taken jointly in Drost's name
and that Of the girl. Drost was
willing to agree to that plan.
1.-THE girl went to a.Rock Island
bank" Drost said, land hired the
box. ! had a key to It and SO did
she. My Liberty bonds and stamps
went into that box and / put
looney's note for SIS, 900 there, too,
for safe keeping. l don't think the
girl yer put any valuables in the
bank.
''That was all right. Then there
was that trouble over in Daven-
port and everything else went
wrong. SO I decided the best thing
] could do was to get my bonds
and my note. / went to the bank
and asked the clerk in charge to
open the box. She fused and fumed
around about half an hoar-you
see there was something wrong
and finally told mt that I couldn't
open the box. She fused and fumed
was p PRESENT. Well. that was all
right, too.
Il fixed up a meeting with Looney
and Ortell and some others in ar
office downtown to see what ]
could do about 1t. l guess they
thought l wanted to 'croak', some
body. A couple of them met me
outside the Office and looked me
over as though they thought l. hat
a gun. You know l don't believe IL
this 'croaking' stuff. I laughed a
them. One Of the men had a gur
in his coat pocket, though, ant
kept it pointed on me all the time
/ was there.
For 20 Years Service.
well, / didn't get much satisfac
ton out of that meeting. So / wen
back to the bank. There had beer
two or three days between my
visits to the bank, and the secont
time ! went in there I had by Owr
key to that box. The girl took thu
key and told me that the boxt hat
been cancelled So you see Il was
out Just $500 In cash and what,
ever that old note was wGeth.
don't suppose I could. have 60
much on the note, but it vas some
thing"
Drost explained that the note hat
been given to him by Looney a.
guarantee Of payment OF none,
earned and owed Drost in the q
years or more that he had been il
Looney's service in various capaci
ties. "Looney was always putting
out that talk about a million dol
lars and l expected that maybe !
could get some of my note On tina
million"
The former News editor sough'
out investigators this morning aat
asked to go before the grand jur.
with this story Of defrauding hin
Of his money. Consideration of tn,
case, however, brought the sugges
ton that a civil action would b.
more advisable and Drost an
nounced that he would begin at
tachment proceedings against thu
Looney effects to secure his claim
1t is not likely that the propert!
left at the Looney 'troost" vii
come anywhere near satisfying tn,
full amount Of the attachment. Ac
cording to the latest reports tn,
house has been stripped of nearl!
everything of any value. Two pi
amos, a linotype machine and ;
press are the most valuable furn'
tshings left. The other stuff ism
worth $10,' some one told Drost-
II wouldn't give s. for it," wal
his answer