The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-10-24
IERsEcUTINc A MEDICINE MAN.


IL the arrest and hearing of Bert Duprez. alias
Chrhan, ON a charge OF bootlegging, and pos
Sjbly there is a suspicion in your mind that he
Il being prosecuted by the police authorities.
. tNen Police Magistrate D. J. Cleland was sur
ttised that Mr.. Duprez should have been
btought into his court accused Of such an Of
tense, remarking that 1t had been long time
jince the Third avenue bar operator had been
bkfore him.
Ii The appearance of Mr. Duprez in police
tburt appeared to have been surprise party,
Ill around. You'll observe that Mrs. Louis
0ftell hurriedly left her home at the witching
hbur of midnight and furnished the bond to
obtain the release Of Mr.. Duprez Mrs. Ortell
Was in happier frame of mind than she was
{te night the-police raided her bar on Fourth
Avenue in search Of liquor, on which occasion
she delivered colorful Grafton, paying her
respects to The Argus upon its campaign to
Ill the town and Threatening to use her polit-
Zeal infuence-claiming that she held 1000 per-
iSctly good votes in the hollow Of her hand-tO
eet the scalps Of several members of the police
department who had become obnoxious to her
by reason of their activities against law violat-
Sts. Mrs. Ortell didn't attempt to give instruc-
tons to the court nor did she question the
fight of the policemen to conduct a search Of
the Duprez establishment, in which she held
hb interest beyond her friendship for the pro-
btietOr She remarked that she would inter-
ktpt her sleep any time to do good turn for
i1iend. That's the spirit that tends to make
t1is old world a happier place for all mortals.
Il was really nice OF Mrs. Ortell, and when she
withdrew from the court police and others
/ blainly indicated their relief, for they hardly
4hew what to expect when she breezed in in
i answer to a distress signal from the Duprex
damp.
1 As to Mr. Duprez himself, it is not unlikely
that he will be able to prove that his arrest was
an error on the part of the Jealous policemen
who conducted the raid of his place. for you
have it on no less authority than his own word
fNat the liquor that was seized was not for in
ternal purposes. On the contrary, it was
l being used to relieve severe attack of rheu-
! iiatism with which Mr.. Duprez explained he
hid been suffering for some time. Neither
sbOuld it have been considered unusual that Mr..
< Nuprez should have conducted tha rubbing
A process behind the bar instead of in the priv
4 ity Of his apartment on the second floor for
the rubbing operation requiIes time and for
Mr. Duprez to have left his bar unattended
h Night have cost him the sale of ha&d boiled
tkg or a nckel's worth of breath msdiher.
III Mr.. Duprez may turn out to have been a
4 ndnea malgned person That liquor was mixed
! with turpentine and was kept in fruit jar.
| Who but cruel and uncouth policeman would
1 suspect that Mr.. Duprez would DO peddling
\ Nhisky mixed with turpentine from fruit jar =?
| Vie very idea is preposteIous. II the police
4 had preferred charge OF practicing medicine
Il Without license against Mr. Duprez there might
4 have been an opportunity to clinch the case
4 against him, but to accuse him of bootlegging-
that is going just little too far. 1T is just
\ possible that Mr.. Duprez, in his own quiet
1 way, has been doing widespread good among
/ the automatically afflicted Of our fair city. He
\ paid that a few applications from the fruit jar
had magical effect in bringing relief to him. and
\ there is no reason that it wouldn't get equal
\ results with others similarly afflicted. Who
\ knows but the basement beneath the Duprez
\ establishment is filled with the crutches Of pa
N tients who have been cured by one rub from
n the jar filed with his connection Of whisky and
II furpentine MIR. Duprez isn't a man who
+ would seek any reward for such service to
II Suffering humanity. He would gladly help any
III brother in distress. and if the truth were known
Il perhaps he has sent hundreds away relieved
II by contact with few drops from that fruit Jar
!. fhAt he kept behind the bar to be close b.
n Whenever he was seized with a rheumatic
n witch. The'police were even so incousiderate
Il ~ to conhscats the magic jsr and lock 1t in
II me boose cell at the city prison. Imagine the
u plight of Mr.. Duprex' rheumatic patients a
II Ney seek him in vain tonight for rub from
II his magic fruit Jar. Such cruelty ON the part
4 bf our police authorities ought to be stopped
Il Suffering humanity cries out in protest agains,
Il euch inhuman practices. The ailing must
Z have relief. and it does seem that the medical
n fraternity should have come to the rescue Of
4 ~. Duprez and his patients. There are prob
billy scores Of rheumatic sufferers hobblng by
n HE Duprez bar tonight looking longingly for
the missing fruit Jar. They must hobbls home
with their pains unrelieved simply because q
bunch Of uncouth bluecoats couldn't distin
ktish between vulgar hooch and a rheumatism
fure that doubtless some day will hold con.
hpicuous posidoa on the shelves Of our lead
tegYurug storsA
fhe story told IN police court b. NJ. Dapre,
Ven touched Cit. Attorney John + SeQt. Nh
Al ~
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