The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-04-29
SHERIFF AND
z DEPUTIES
SHOT DOWN
Slain in Gun Fight With Rail-
road Laborers at Frederick,
Illinois Investigate Shoot
ing.
AFTER "RIVER RATS
tRv Associated Pressl


dict of rdeath by unknown causes"
was returned today by coroner's jury
investigating the killing of Sheriff Ed
ward Lashbrook and two deputies, in
a gunfight with railroad Iaborers at
Frederick last night.
States Attorney Paud Morning an
nounced today that he was turning
his investigation of the shooting for
which 29 Greek laborers are held in
Beardstown to "agitators among the
Greek workmen, whom he said "evi-
IDENTIFY were the cause of the shoot.
ing"
"The men were barricaded in box
cars where they had been driven by
attacks Of labor agitators and goaded
TO the point of fury. They misunder-
stood the motives of the sheriff and
his force" he said.
Called "River Rats"
River rats was the way in which
Mr.. Morning described the alleged
labor agitators, who had attacked the
Greeks.
Trouble commenced soon after the
section gang came here" Mr. Morn
ing said. "Agitators in Frederick and
recruits of the same sort came from
Browning, five miles up the river.
gathered upon the box cars housing
the Greek workers and sent them an
ultimatum to quit their jobs or suf-
fer the consequences. This gave rise
to the shooting which continued three
nights"
When Sheriff Lashbrook and three
deputies went to the Greeks last night.
it was to protect them. Deputy Carl
Neff had had a conference with the
ringleaders, and told them they came
as officers of the peace.
BEARDSTOWN, Ill, April 29.-Out
of the worst flood in its history into
the greatest shooting affray this vi
cinity ever has experienced, the city
| of Beardstown and the village of Fred
erick, separated by the flooded Illinois
river. were Joined at dawn today in an
| attempt to exact justice for the killing
at Frederick late last night of Sheriff
! Edward Lashbrook and two deputies
of Schuyler county.
The deputies were Carl Neff, who
died two and one-half hours after the
shooting and Frank Utter, who with
the sheriff was killed instantly.
Stories of the shooting at Frederick
and subsequent arrest of % Greek sec
| tion hands, charged with the killings
as they jumped from Chicago, Hurl-
ington & Quincy train as it pulled into
Beardstown, equal the widest fiction
Were Ordered Out
The maintenance of way workers,
who three weeks ago, when flood wa
| ter was at its highest, were ordered
out of Beardstown, were charged with
! 7ich oh OF
where they were brought by the rail
| road this week to repair tracks dam
| aged by food waters.
! Sheriff Lashbrook, with three depu-
ties, approached the workers box car
home last night to arrest some of them
and warn the others to be peaceful.
A volley heard across the flooded
river rang out as the quartet stepped
on the station platform. Three of the
four fell. Deputy j. M. Kelly felt the
whizz of bullets and jumped to safety
behind a corner of the station. From
! that point, he says, he saw the men
| in a body rush to the Chicago, Bur
| lington and Quincy passenger train
which pulled into the station from the
north as the shooting ceased. Some
others ran in the opposite direction.
Sensed Trouble
! Across the river Chief of Police Rob-
! ert Patterson gathered four of his po-
| licemen about him and waited for the
| train, sensing trouble. The track
! workers literally jumped into their
arms. All but four made wild scurry
! to escape. They plunged waist deep
F; into the water which for weeks has
/ made Bearstown's streets impossible.
except to boots and boats.
Capture of the four was effected
without difficulty. Chief Patterson
lead the % toward the city jail and
under the pistols of the four police
| the prisoners went waist deep to jail
Guards about the place Immediately
were doubled and then quadrupled A
| guard was put at the c. B. & @. bridge
| to stop every person from Schuyler
county who seemed bent on trouble
and another guard was sent to the sec
tion gang in the Beardstown yard. Ev-
cry precaution was taken the olief
said, to prevent violence, which it was
| feared might follow when Beardstown
citizens learned the prisoners were the
maintenance of way workers.
| In Frederick, meanwhile Schuyler
county authorities were working fast,
! Coroner Fred Harvey and States At
/ torney Morning arrived from Rushville
| and preparat tons were made for an i'm
mediate inquest. Six men were OBJ
tanned for jury. As they were about
to be sworn in word came from an
ether room in the house-the home of
:. DR.. McElroy that deputy Carl Neff had
died.
Killed One Man
Fired by the death of his chief and
both fellow deputies, J. NJ. Kelly asked
that the inquest be postponed and
that he be allowed to turn all his en-
ergy to getting the men still at large
He headed posse which killed one
man outside Frederick at 2:30 this
morning. Another was arrested al
Browning, five miles up the river He
had walked the distance and was
caught attempting iS board a train
A quantity of cartridges and razot
were found in his pockets.
While Deputy Kelly continued his
search, Coroner Harvey examined the
bodies of the three dead men. Sheriff
Lashbrook was shot in the chest, Dep
uty Utter in the mouth, and Deputy
| |Hor+;r,od -, u co Covo~,