Evening star., 1922-11-25
,JA|L WORTHLESS,
TEARS IT Down
Gear" of Rapids City, H.,
Says 1t Was His, Anyway,
But He's Arrested.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

| Special Dispatch to The Star
MOLINE, ILL.,, November 2J.-Be-
, cause he asserted that the town Jail
was worthless. and that. anyhow, 1t
| belonged to him, Abram B. l.. Adams.
leading citizen of Rapids City. sleepy
village nesting on the. banks Of the
Mississippi river Il few miles from
here, tore it down. The villagers. ris-
ing in their might. announced a decla-
| ration Of independence and had their
chief townsman arrested. Today he is
on hail awaiting the action Of the
grand jury.
"Od Ape," as the culprit is best
known throughout all of Rock Island
county, has been fora half century the
dominant factor in Rapids City affairs.
His word has been law and he has
ruled with an iron hand. He insists
that 1t was his Jail and that he had a
eriect right to tear it down. Justice
Holton. before whom he was arraigned,
agreed with the citizens and held him
for the grand jury.
Threatened ShOtguns.
Adams is one of the wealthiest men
In this vicinity. owning most of the
village and hundreds of acres of farm
| lands in the county He is a noted
the site on which the Jail was located
! and when arraigned before Justice
Holton 1t was shown that he had
threatened to defend his ownership
with shotguns.
In his own defense he said that the
| site originally was given TO the village
by G. j. and {. I. Lindstrum for Gala
boose purposes''-that is the wording
! in the deed--and that when it no
! longer was used il was to revert back
n h1. Il t,..fr Ix.t,.
old Abe" is one.
| 1t has been years since the jail
was needed" insisted Adams to the
court. and I had perfect right to
recover my property"
Planned to Restore jail.
| The townspeople denied this and in
! sisted that they planned to restore
the structure and use it for municipal
purposes.
| a good many years ago" explained
| Mr.. Adams today. "the town council
! had Jacob Schibe. the village black.
smith, construct cage in the corner
Of the council room to be used when
necessary to contine prisoners in town
/ 1t has been so utilized for q log time
J and not since then has anyone needed
, the old ca!aboose
| LAS a result of the neglect the old
| Jai! became wreck and was sinking
into the mud. 1T was nuisance and
l was lioS olIiS one tIlat
! it so. In order to relieve the situation
my son-in-law and myself went over
| there couple of days ago and tore /,
| down. 1t was my right and ] will de-
| fend that right II | have to carry the
case to the Supreme Court of the
| United States"
| Demand AbdicatiOn.
! There is no particular feeling Of re.
| sentiment against him in the village
| Siv MI irlr ,, h.
| been allowed to have his own way toe
long and that the time has come when
| they must defend their rights from his
| aggression. SO they have demanded
!, that he abdicate most of his celf-con.
| ferred power and agree to let them
| run the community SO that they car
| get back some of the residents who
| have departed because they disliked
"Old Abe's" domineering ways.
!, Incidentally he promises. if indicted
| to try his own case when it reaches
! the circuit court.
Copyright. 1927