The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-10-11
Opened
III TIE, CLAIM
Of HOLSAPPLE


Funeral services for John Con-
~ Looney will be held at . O'Clock
tonorrow morning from st. JOS
eph's Catholic church. Rev. p. H.
DurEin will conduct the services.
nsrial will be In Calvary cemetery.
young Looney fred the first
shot and he was evidently killed
BY someone firing in self-defense,"
declared George "Crimps" Holsap-
ple, one Of four held for the STAY
Ing, in an interview with reporters
in the county Jail yesterday after
noon.
Holsapple il said to have made
statements to the states attorneys
0fiice previous to yesterday, ex-
planning his presence at the scene
Of the shooting, but his talk with
reporters was the first for public
dissemination since his arrest,
shortly after John Looney, Jr.. was
shot down in the Market square
street battle Friday afternoon.
Dan Drost, former Looney coll
league, who is being held in the
county jail with Holsapple pending
grand Jury action. sent word to the
reporters that he was not feeling
we'll" and did not care to talk.
George Buckley, who is held in the
city Jail, refused also to discuss
the situation from any point OF
view with the reporters. Anthony
Billburg. at liberty under $4,000
bond, likewise has assumed non
committal attitude.
Holsapple when first confronted
by the reporters showed an inclin-
,tion to assume a similar spirit Of
silence with the assertion that Il
S know nothing about it." When
shown that the object Of the inter-
view was merely to give him a
chance to explain to the public how
1t happened that he was in the
midst Of the shooting, he talked
freely, answering all questions
quickly and easily.
y Picks Up DrOSt.
II was driving Dan Drost to his
work at the Burlington round.
house." said Holsapple. Il picked
Dan up at Twentieth street aid
Third avenue and it just happened
that we rounded Seventeenth street
as the shooting started. There
were hundreds of others in the vi
cinity at the time, and We were
merely two Of the witnesses.
Il was first attracted to young
Looney with his drawn revolver
and l saw him fire the first shot
Bullets few thick and fast all aDou
us. l saw John Looney, Sr.. rur
for the cover of the hotel lObb,
and from there turn and shoot int
the street. The next instant / go
glimpse of Pedigo and Looney II
the upper window. each firing rap
idly but with apparent delibera
ton. l believe they had their gum
trained on me and Drost, and
also believe that the bullet tina
got Dan in the arm carried TIL
compliments of the parties in thu
window.
when Dan got it l was trying
to drive the machine to safety ant
was hindered by the crowd.
drove Dan back to the saloon Of
Twentieth street and phoned 70
DIR. De Silva. l was told he wa
already on his way to the hospita
and l finally got DR.. Dan Paul. Il
the meantime i decided it was tim
to get my gun, and that was VIII
l happened to be armed when tn
pclide arrested me- l did not -hav
my gun with me when the shootin
began"
Holsapple admitted that thor
was a third party in his machine
stranger sitting in the back sea
when the shooting started.
don't know what happened to hiI
in the excitement" said Holsappl'
II don't know who he was an
couldn't say now what he locke
like"
How did you happen to have