Free trader-journal and Ottawa fair dealer. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1920-1927, 1922-11-23
FORMER OTTAWAN WILL
BE TRIED WITH 6
OF HIS PALS
IS NOW A FUGITIVE
GRAND JURY REPORTS ON RE-
SUITS OF INVESTIGATION INTO
VICE CONDITIONS AT CRIME
RIDDEN ROCK ISLAND.

Rock Island, Nov. 23.-(By A. P)
John Looney, former Ottawa teleg.
rapher and later a lawyer, today Is
being sought by Rock Island county
officials to answer to indictments re-
turned against him by the grand jury
charging conspiracy to murder. Loo.
ney, fugitive from justice, is said
TO have last been heard from at Roch.
ester Mimi, where his daughter IS
reported to have undergone an oper-
alton at the Mayo Bros. clinic.
With the Looney indictment came
true bills against six OF the former
Ottawans henchmen alleged by the
state to be implicated as leaders of
Rock Islands vice coterie which held
the city in it's merciless grip over a
long stretch of time-until the law
stepped in and broke up their opera
tions
The indictment against Looney, ed
itor Of the News, a weekly newspa-
per given to printing choice morsels
picked up by Rock Island scandal
mongers, came as no surprise. 1t is
intimated that before Attorney Gen
eral Brundage gets through with the
investigation Looney will be held for
trial on nearly every charge known
to grand jury annals The charge of
conspiracy to murder was returned
late yesterday before Judge n. A.
Larson, who instructed the sheriff
to find Looney and fetch him back
to Rock Island for trial
Pals Are Named With looney.
Accused with the missing editor,
who left the city shortly after the
battle in which his son was slain.
are Louis Ortell, first lieutenant
In the News camp, who also disap-
peared when the present inquiry
started: Lawrence Pedigro, hotel
owner and one of Looney's closest
friends, held for numbering Bill Ga
bel, saloonman rated as outside the
unholy circle of bootleggers; Clint
Hippert, Dirty Neck" Kelly, one
Cooney. and John Doe, described as
a flunky who used to work for Or
tell in his saloon
That the indictments had nothing
to do with the killing of Gabel nor
young Looney came as great sur
prise to crime ridden Rock Island,
The bill was drawn on the strength
of reported plot to kill Dan Drost,
formerly an associate editor Of Loo
ney's sheet II. S. Mosher, the at
torney generals leading investiga-
tor uncovered the evidence of this
alleged plot
The story Of Drost's fall from grace
came after he had served year as
the goat" for Looney, who left Rock
Island on a New Mexico migration
when the government got on his
trail. Drost remained in charge OF
the News and later was convicted
and sentenced to twelve months in
jail He reported that Looney prom.
ised to square the bill for him, but
didn't make good. Drost, following
the tactics of such men, threatened
to expose Looney and then followed
what the state claims was a plot to
eliminate this new and dangerous
enemy by the rough process of bump
ing him off some night. Drost was
warned in ample time to avoid meet
ing up with the gangsters but he
took his story into the grand jury
room and the indictments followed.
Printer Is Indicted.
Later in the day second lndlct-
ment was returned charging Fred
Sinclaire, a former printer for Loo
ney, with receiving stolen goods.
Attorney General Brundage today
intimated that formal action will be
taken to close every saloon and
brothel in Rock Island under the llll'
nois law which provides that no build
ing wherein law violations are prac'
ticed may reopen for years time
The local authorities have closed
these places but Brundage says he
does not intend to take any chances
with them and will insist that they
be enjoined from tenancy until a
year has elapsed.