The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-01-27
LODGE RIVAL
IS HELD FOR
NEGRO DEATH
Arthur Brooks Is Held by
Police for Stewart
Staying.

.
2510 Eighteenth street, Moline, sec
retary of the Island City lodge No
81, knights of Pythias, Rock Is
land, is being held in the Rock Is
land city jail charged with the muir
der of Harry Stewart. negro, 1916
Ninth street, Moline, who was found
dead at $50 O'Clock Wednesday
night on the sidewalk at the north
west corner of Seventh avenue and
Fourteenth street.
The crime, the police theory is,
was committed to cover up losses
of moneys collected in the lodge
Jealousy over woman entered into
the murder. too, the police say.
Brooks was arrested at his home
i'll Moline at 2:40 o'clock this morn
ing and when questioned by Police
Chief Tom Cox today denied all
charges. CircumstantiaI evidence
is sufficient to hold him on the
charge of numbering Stewart, who
was past chancellor commander of
the Island City lodge and secretary
of the Arsenal lodge No. 90, Ma
sons, Moline.
Chief Cox says that evidence
seems to connect Brooks undeni-
ably with the murder of Stewart.
The chief announced that he had
obtained information from John
Hicks. porter at the police station,
who is an officer in the colored Ma
sons lodge. that he had walked
with Brooks from Fourth avenue
and Fifteenth street, to the home
of Andrew Hoskins, negro, 1402
Eighth avenue, the night OF Dec.
28, to attend a lodge stag, and that
Brooks showed a revolver and de-
clared that he was carrying 1t for
Stewart" He said there was bad
blood between him and Stewart over
a woman named Hazel Sims, who
lives in the west end OF ROCK Is
land. The police have found this
woman and she has admitted ac-
uuaintanceship with both Stewart
and Sims but denies any knowledge
of trouble between the two men over
her.
Lodge Books Short.
The police also have the word of
E. l.. Steele, negro, 2710 Ninth ave
nue., Moline, who says that he saw
Brooks have d gun at a meeting OF
the lodge in the King Solomon hall,
Third avenue and Seventeenth
street, the night of Jan. 4. Accord
ing to Steele, Brooks took the gun
from underneath his vest and
showed it down into his trousers
underneath his belt, and at the time
said that he was keeping the
weapon for Stewart. According 10
Steele there was bad blood between
Brooks and Stewart over a short
age in the books of the lodge. 1he
books were to be audited last night
Brooks was elected secretary of the
lodge and it is claimed that for this
reason Stewart resigned as chan
cellor commander of the order.
Mrs. Brooks told reporters today
that her husband left their home at
7:3O O'Clock the night of the muir
der. He told her that he was gong
"to look after some coal" They met
at $50 O'Clock that night in the
Hoskins home
Inquest Routine One.
M evidence leading to the iden-
tity of the slayer was brought out
last night at the inquest, conduct
ed bv Coroner John F. Maberry at
7 o'clock in the MOeller undertak-
ing parlors.
r. d. Pollard, 1918 Eighth ave-
me. testified that he saw a man
come across the street from the
SCENE of the murder, but he was
sight of him in the darkness. He
also saw a white woman coming
from that direction. She kept look
ing back from where the shot came
but did not stop.
Mr.. and Mrs. Clark, 724 Four
teenth street, where Mr.. Stewart
had visited a short time before the
murder. passed him on the corner
on the way to church and did not
hear of his death until they arrived
at the church. Mr.. Stewart had
also called at the home of Andrew
Hoskins. 1902 Eighth avenue. TO
find out where Mr.. Clark lived, and
the first that Hoskins knew OF the
murder was when Mr.. Clark called
and tols him about it. Mr.. Pollard
and Mr.. Hoskins both expressed
their opinion that Mr.. Stewart was
the victim of holdup man
The .3S calibre bullet, according
to A. D. !. Moeller, entered the
right side of the body between the
second and third rib. and passed
through the lower lobe OF the heart
and out near the fifth rib on the
left side.
The verdict returned by the jury
was that death resulted from
guushot wound through the heart
inflicted by some person unknown
to the jury"
Funeral Sunday Afternoon.
Funeral services will be held at
. O'Clock Sunday afternoon in the
ST. Paul's A NJ E church. in Mo
line. Rev. H. L. Haywood. pastor
of the church. will conduct the serv-
ices. The Arsenal lodge. Masons.
will have charge of the services at
the grave Burial will be in River
side cemetery, Moline