The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-10-16
MONDAY, OCTOBER 10, 1922.
Two More Murders.
Rock Island has now sacrificed the

TWO MORE N1O10SbSs
i Rock Island has now sacrificed the lives ct
TWO policemen in its reign Of lawlessuess.
IJames Green and Edward Miner. two of the
most popular and efficient members of the
police department, died because negro charac-
4ers were permitted to carry arms. II the
negroes of the Rock Island underworld had
not been encouraged in the belief that there
MAS no law in Rock Island the persons respon-
eible for the killing of the two policemen would
hot have been parading the streets with ar
;eenals on their hips The Argus has for months
been warning officialdom against what it
lensed to be impending tragedy and terror, but
IL IL only since a. shake up in the police de-
partment that there has been put forth any
tesultful effort to curb lawlessness. The Argus
has been persistently hammering the city
authorities to wipe out undesirable conditions
tn the very neighborhood where Policemen
Green and Miner fell in the line Of duty. There
has been some attention paid to the district,
but evidently all of the dangerous elements
have not yet been removed
4 Mayor H. NJ Schriver and the city commits
1 tiohers are charged with the efficient policing
1 81 the city. They can't deny knowledge of the
Existence Of the condition that made possible
\ the wiping out Of the lives Of two police
II pHicers who ventured into negro neighbor-
h hood to stop fight that was disturbing the
beace Of the city on a Sunday evening. Law
L 3essness has been officially sanctioned and en-
Htouraged in Rock Island. The toll to date in
underworld warfareis seven lives, none Of
|aWhich would have been taken had the laws
been enforced as they are in any well regulated
|HEpmmunity.
tH The Rock Island underworld has a law Of
Its own and it applies that law in the full con-
1 .dence that there will be no prosecution or
4 H,unishment. William Gabel was shot to death
}}lI&he night Of Aug. in front Of his place Of
s3lNbusness while the policeman assigned to that
abbeat Edward Miner-was ordered to spend the
iahight in the police station. There never has
3(been an arrest Of suspect in the Gabel murder,
4 Respite that several underworld characters
\ HIRE under suspicion of at least having guilty
acknowledge of the crime. Inaction and dis
a#nterestedness in the Gabel murder on the part
Il Hbf the authorities only tended to strengthen
Ithe conviction among underworld characters
n 1that they were immune from interference nc
III matter to what extremes they might go in
the laws by which the city is supposed
7Iko be governed.
Mill climax was afforded in the killing of John
III Rooney, Jr., In gun battle in Market square
NJ betHeen underworld factions Since thai
81 Tragedy the community has been held in con
T Slant terror by the possibility of further
n, FLASHES between those factions, inasmuch as il
5s ID known that the men involved in that warfare
III fe still armed and only waiting an opportunit,
Il r1niv IN
III 3ome within range of their bullet showers a.
IA Gehey did that afternoon in Market square The
81 authorities, The Argus charges, are aware tina
hese men are carrying arms, and they hav'
M Apade no effort to divest them Of those weapons
#he city and county authorities are equally t,
lame in this menacing situation and unles
y take steps Immediately to obviate thu
niger of REPETITION of the Market square rio
43f may yet be necessary. for the preservation
sHf the community safety. to appeal to the gov
Hfnor OF the state to designate troops to com
: Ip the city to perform the duty that official
aeem either incapable of or too coward,y t.
+ Exercise.
T. Il The Argus gives full credit to the police de
III 3artment for what it has done towards sup
l#I PRESSING lawessness, but it has not gone ia
|# RouGh. Perhaps it was necessary that tw
III me members Of the police department la
iii 1own their lives before officials came to full
19altxation OF the danger which the communit
fa1sk facing. 1t is q time for determined actor
u lot for playing politics. The Argus in tn
4Ame of the law-abiding people of Rock Islam
emands that the city and county government
bin forces Immediately and round up ever
hAracter known to be in the habit of carryin
l III gun arrest him. prosecute him on a charge {
6rrting concealed weapons and force hi1
Ehlr to turn to legitimate employment q
Hive him from the city.
&II Rock island has had enough Of huma
laughter already to convince the decent eli
tnn$hfp that It must assert its cumulatiy
lowkr in bringing the city and county govern
snts to a realizing sense Of their Grimm,
reliction.
James Green and Edward Miner died b.
6nse Rock Island oficialdom has been
/ lttnershb with lawlessness. When tn,
- kfthership shall have. beeA broken, and n,
& I'D then, will Rock Island be safe and decent
4 iii -
III WHO killed Bill Gabel: