The Clinton Register from Clinton, Illinois • 4

TONY MUSSER KILLED BY "BLONDY" PERSON SEVEN BULLETS ENTER HIS BODY Half a Hundred Witness the Shooting, But No One Attempted to Stop the Fusillade. Slayer Is in Jail--Coroner's Jury Holds Him Without Bond. Tuesday afternoon, about 2:20 Tony Musser, former chief of police of Clinton, was shot to death in front of the interurban depot in this city by Carl E. Persons. Just before the shooting the men engaged in a fist fight in which Persons was badly worsted.

It was one or two minutes before the men were separated. Mr. Musser, the larger of them, was very mad and for this reason two men were holding him to prevent a renewal of the fight but 110 one was holding Persons who did not seem anxious for it to continue. While Musser wag being held ersons walked around some men stood between him and Musser and shot him in the back. This caused the men to loose their hold on and try to get out of danger.

Musser taggered toward the soutu, seeming to try to get away. Persons, who had a 32-caliber automatic revolver, fired seven shots in about as many seconds, but his victim did nct fall until after the last shot, though two or three times he was almost down. Just before the last shot he staggered to the north a few feet and fell just south of the cluster light post which is directly west of the depot twen feet. There were thirty or forty men standing near, but there was no effort made to prevent Persons shooting intil Dick Bryant rushed into the crowd and led him away to the sheriff's office. This, no doubt prevented the eighth bullet being sent into Musse body.

The revolver is a Savage of the latest make, and steel cartridges were used. The shooting was in the street, east of the Register office about forty feet, and Dr. Pugh whose office is in the Register building, was soon at his side, but it was evident death was certain. The Oakman ambulance was soon brought and the wounded man was taken to the hospital, but death came as he was being carried into the building. The body was at once.

taken to the undertaking rooms. When examination was made of the body ten bullet holes were found, three of the balls having passed through the body. Two bullets entered the right shoulder, one over right kidney, one in rear part of right hip, two in rear part of left hip and one in left groin. All entered from the rear except. the last.

The first three went through the body. Cause of the Trouble Since the strike of the Illinois Central shop employes here about two years ago, Persons, who was secretary of the employes union, has remained in Clinton, though the strike wag lost to the employes, and most of the men who did not go back to work went to other cities to work, some of their families still living in Clinton where they own homes. For several months he had an office in the Frendenstein building, and seemed to have! 110 business, except as secretary cf the union, and kept the strikers informed at the meetings which were held daily in the Zerger hall for ral weeks. Awhile after the meetings were no longer held, Persons began to publish a small paper, called the Strike Bulletin. In this were bitter personal mention of the strikers who returned to work, as well as others who began work.

Since the strike began there has been no union at the shops. This was the ground for attacks on the men who went to, work there. About three months ago, Musser. who had separated from his wife more than a year before and had been employed in Decatur, but gave to the support of the family, returned to Clinton and had been working at the Central shops as pipe fitter. It seems Persons did not know he was working for the Central or had neglected to write him up.

But the trial of John Weir, charged with the killing of Chief of Police John Struble the night of July 13, 1910, gave him the opportunity for a burning attack on Musser in his paper and he did not let it pass unimproved. Musser, who was night captain of the police force, was with Struble the night he was killed, and there have always been many who thought Musser accidentally shot Struble, but there was no evidence that he did and there had never been an open charge of it. Whether he did 83 or not the event of that night seemed REGISTER HUGHES BROS. Editors PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY Entered at the Postoffice at Clint tilinois, as Second Class mail mat' Telephone Number Seven FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 1914 GILMAN, ILLINOIS GILMAN, ILLINOIS If you never felt like committing suicide it is perhaps because you never spent six hours in Gilman waiting for a train. It is a test of patlence to wait for a train in any town, but in Gilman it's an awful toot.

It is an experience you don't want to remember and can't forget. It is something like sitting up alone with a corpse. Thef irst hour you feel lonesome; the next hour more linesome; the third hour very lonesome; the fourth hour sadly lonesome; the fifth hour insanely lonesome, and the sixth hour, unless guarded, you wil be in a drug store buying carbolic acid, the favorite exit fluid used people of DeWitt county who res ive to save God and the doctors of guy responsibility in getting them out of the world. After wand ring aimlessly about the streets awhile the stranger, if a newspaper man, oils into the office of the only new aper in the town feeling it wi'l be a congenial place to pass a part of the time he is compelled to spend in the deep solitude of the town that don't look like any other town. Once inside the office he finds a single-deck front and a double-deck rear.

On the upper deck two men and a woman are discovered. The woman and one man are busily engaged in picking up and dropping little pieces of metal, head end up, into a something they hold in their left hand. The other man is the editor. He answers all the questions asked him; that's all. It does not seem to be his day for visitors.

Except for the noise made by the little pieces of metal the stillness is deep and deadly. It would seem to be the day after the office cat had died and the cloud of gloom had not been lifted. After awhile the stranger goes out; and as he goes the editor maintains his silence. He does not even say: again when we are not feeling sad." This was part of our experience in Gilman. When we left the printing office it seemed there was little that we might wish to live for, unless we could go somewhere.

The first thing that greeted us was a drug store sign; it looked as big as a circus bill headline, and as inviting as a casket. We had to- pull ourself away from the store door by the coat tail. was the turning point in our life journey. We knew that a natural or accidental death awaited us if we could fight off the homicidal feeling until we got out of Gilman. The struggle was on.

The spell must be broken or the coroner would get another fee. We looked up and down the one long, and only business street of the town. The only living things in sight were a man that looked like Santa Claus and a dog that looked like a living corpse. We thought of Rip VanWinkle and his faithful canine and wondered if they came from the deep solitude of the mountains to find a more quiet place. They eyed us and we eyed them.

Not a word was spoken; not a bark was barked. The dog couldn't have barked without fracturing his ribs. The feeling of self-destruction was gaining ground. Something must be done. We did that something and live.

We studied the town and were saved. We walked up and down or down and up the streets north and south; there are two of them. The more we walked them ore we were convinced there is only one quieter place than Gilman, and that is a graveyard. The town is three -blocks wide and seventeen blocks long. It is at the elbow of the Illinois Central from Clinton to Chicago.

It is bounded on the north by a cornfield, on the east by a cornfield and pastures, on the south by a farm and on the west by railroad tracks. It is spread over a little less than forty acres, and has several houses in which later learned that people live. The houses are well scattered, the object seeming to be to make it easier on the ground by leaving plenty of space; between them. This also prevents chickens bothering neighbors SO much. Most of the business houses have the same individuality of location, as there are few of them that do not "stand out alone," like a hay barn in a meadow.

The chief attractions are a shooting gallery and a five cent theater. They are on opposite sides of the street and eye each other with a murderous jealousy. It costs as much to shoot at a target three times as it does to look at the gaudy picture of a woman in flesh -colored tights- on the screen. We didn't shoot a target or see a woman in hights. were too lonely for any kind of foolishness.

But all things, even life, must end, as did our stay in the Elbow City. It was near train time and we hurried to the depot. A train on the T. P. W.

(Two People Went) road came in on time and the rails. It went out as it cane in, and we were one of the two that went, and as we went we felt like the man who escaped after being buried alive. 00 The old year has gone and the new year has come, and you didn't see the change, you believe it happened. Why? -00 Clinton is again prominently on the map, and its prominence may become more prominent along the same line. -00 Did you write Jan.

1, 1914, right the first time? 00---- HELD OPEN HOUSE Yesterday the Y. M. C. A. building was open to the public, and there was a swarm of visitors.

Dormitories, class rooms, gymnasium and swimming pool are all ready for use, and the pool is being used. every day. At 3:30 in the afternoon was a game of basket ball between the present high school team and a club picked from the class of 1912. The former students won, although the mem-, bers of the present team played a strong game. The score stood 19 to 10 in favor of the old students.

At least 300 spectators watched the game, and were enthused by the skill shown by the students. The Misses Margaret Kraft, Ruth Kent, Louise Murdock, Lela McMann, Ethel Steger and Bernice. Phelps presided at a large punch bowl in one corner of the lobby and all comers were served with delightfully blended iced fruit juices. An Edison phonograph furnished music both afternon and evening, and was much appreciated by the audience. The regular Classes in gymnasium work will be started next Monday and the swimming pool will be accessible to all members after that date.

A large number of membership cards have been taken out, and the large number of citizens who were present yesterday indicates that the Y. M. C. A. is welcomed by all as one of the uplifts for the boys of Clinton.

The building was open until ten o'clock last night. DIED CHRISTMAS DAY At 12:45 on December 25, 1913, at his home in Parnell, occurred the death of John A. DeBolt, the immedlate cause of death being a stroke of paralysis which he suffered on Tuesday night preceding his death, although he had been ill with a complication of diseases for some time. Deceased was born in Ohio on May 7, 1843, and lived there until the breaking out of the Civil War, when he joined the army in the regiment and company of the late President McKinley. At the close of the war he came to Illinois, first locating in Bloomington, where he was united in marriage to Miss Amela King, which marriage ten children were born, seven of whom survive as follows: Mrs.

Wm. Watters of Leroy, Mrs. Chas Luneack of Parnell, Wm. DeBolt of Breckenridge, Mrs. D.

J. Walters of Weedman, Ada DeBolt of Bardville, Mrs. Albert Sandt, Chicago and Mrs. Wm. Umble of Farnhamville, Iowa.

Deceased was a member of G. A. R. Post at Farmer City. He was also a member of the M.

E. church, from which the funeral was conducted on Saturday afternoon, the interment being in Camp Ground cemetery. UNDERWENT OPERATION While in town Saturday afternoon Garfield Baker took sudenly ill, and started for his home in the country. On the road home he became steadily worse, and when he arrived at his home it was thought advisable to send for a physiciaa. Dr.

Chapin was summoned and after a short diagnosis, found Mr. Baker to be suffering from a bad case of appendicitis. Dr. F. C.

McCormick, of Bloomington was sent for, and arrived Sunday, and an operation was performed upon the sick man at his home at 9 o'clock. Dr. Chapin assisted in the operation. It was found that the appendix was badly inflamed, and -perforated. Peritonitis had developed.

-Weldon Record. MAIL BOX AT DEPOT The Register has often. called attention to the fact that a mail box should be at the interurban depot, because it was a very convenient place for one. This morning a box was placed on the cluster light post in front of the depot by C. A.

Cline, deputy postmaster. MARRIED IN WAPELLA At Wapella yesterday, afternoon 0-c occurred the marriage of James T. Reynolds and Miss Laura E. Tate, both of Wapella. The groom being under legal age, consent to the marriage was given by his father.

have so changed Musser that he became reckless and his life was SO changed that the separation from his wife resulted. Since the reconciliation all who knew the circumstances had been pleased that the family was itself again. But it seemed the happiness was not long to continue. In the issue of the Strike Bulletin of Dec. 23, appeared the article that fired Musser's brain, and his tragic death was the result.

The article is as follows: "Tony Musser, who was on the police force during the time Chief of Police Struble was killed, put in a very strenuous week during the Struble murder trial here. Musser is now scabbing at the local bull pen, and he has been trying to help the state convict an innocent man by the name of Weir. However, from the flimsy statements made by Musser on the witness stand it was easy to understand who Struble's murderer was and who operated the that did the killing. A man who 111 fall as low socially as to join the ranks of scabs and traitors will not hesitate to take human life. Reputable pecple in this community are now trying to figure out why Musser gave his club-to Officer Spink right after the shooting, and they are also working on a rumor that Musser also traded guns with a party alter the time of the shooting.

A photograph of Musser's brain undoubtedly would be of great benefit to those who are interested in down the man who killed Struble." How The Fight Began There have been different reports as to how the men met. It is said Person knew Musser was enraged the bitter article about him in the Bulletin, and that Musser was going south on the 2:32, and that he could see him by going to the interurban depot. Another report is that Musser telephoned him and gave him another name saying he wanted to meet him at the depot. Which is true may be known later. But it is certain Person went to the depot and was returning to the north.

As he passed the cigar store just north of the depot, Musser, who was in the store, asked Ernest Mitchell, a clerk, if he knew Person. He said he did, and added: "There he goes now." Musser asked if he was sure, and when Mitchell said he was, he went out and trouble began. When separated they were on the pavement about fifteen feet from the building the cigar store is in. The Revolver Used The strange thing is that so many men stood near while Person pre pared his revolver and shot Musser seven times and not one attempted to stop him. The weapon is one that both hands must be used to prepare if it is ready for use, and when once it is ready for action the eight bullets can be fired rapidly by pressing the trigger.

It was when Person vas humped over trying to get the revoiver ready for use that Dr. Pugh yelled from his window about forty tart away: "Stop him; he is going to shoot" But no one seemed to hear him, as no effort was made to prevent the tragedy, which could have been done easily. Coroner's Inquest Coroner H. A. Moore selected the following jury soon after Musser died: Ed Danison, Jas.

Dooley, L. DeBoice, Grant Cardiff, Ben Spicer, Len Miller, who examined the wounds in the body. The inquest was held at 10 o'clock Wednesday in the court house. The following were called as witnesses: C. L.

Dickerson, Chas. Tibbs. Phil Wolfe, R. J. Williams, Chas.

Cline, Dr. B. M. Pugh. All saw the shooting and were positive Persons fired the shots that caused Musser's death, except Wolfe, who said that when he saw Persons take his revolver from his pocket, he started away as he thought somebody would be shot.

There was some difference as to the time of the shooting, the time fixed by each being from 2:15 to 2:30. While Musser wag being put in the ambulance the 2:32 car from the south came in. The jury did not report a verdict until 7 o'clock Wednesday evening, hav ing adjourned to that time. The ver dict was that Persons be held to the for murder without bond. TONY MUSSER TONY MUSSER The victim of Person's was bont on a near Georce.

July and was 41 last July, He 5 married in to Miss Coro Hamlin Aug. t1, and to them three children ere all living. (ledia is 11, Edich 9, Herbert years old. Far years he was in the employ of Clinton Gas and Flectric Co. In he was arpeinted on the po: ca A short time after the death or Struble he was appointed Chief, neld the rosition several when he went Decatur, ac.I not return: to Clinton to Ate about the first of October.

His parents, Mr. and Mrs. Musser, live as Pana; a sister, Ben Mosley, lives in Decatur; two brothers, Bert and Burley; and Curtis at Oconee, and at Kerrick. So far as learned was the first time he had ever trouble since he came to Clinton, ing a reputation as a peaceable zen. Funeral At Oconee Tony Musser The remains of Musser were taken from the undertaking rooms to the home in the east part of the city Tuesday afternoon where short services were held, conducted by Rev.

Towle. At 8:35 next morning they were taken to Oconee, in a special car, accompanied by the family and a number of friends, where funeral services were held and the burial took place. Carl Persons The man who fired six bullets in the back of his victim was born in Sweden in 1885 and came to Clinton in July 1907 to begin work for the Illinois Central at its shops, and continued in the employ of that company until Sept. 30, 1911. It is said he was an agitator among the employes, and as a socialist, was active politically.

It is claimed he had much to do in bringing about the strike, and more than all the others to keep alive a feeling of hatred toward the men who are working at the shops to provide for their families. It is believed by many that he is not a citizen of this country, though the had been voting previous to last fall. At that time he challenged a number who were voters. and when he attempted to vote was also challenged. He became mad and he said he had his papers at his room, and would soon get them, but he did not and did not vote.

When he was taken to the jail, Sheriff Armstrong telephoned Dr. Pugh to come and dress the wounds on his head made by Musser's fists in the fight. When the doctor arrived he refused to even allow the blood washed off his face until his picture was taken, as he wanted it for use in his defense at his trial. This re quest was refused, and Dr. Pugh left the jail A.

F. Miller, whom Person engaged as his attorney, also requestarmed that they be allowed to have a pic111. ture taken, but his request was not granted. Clinton Didn't Get A Picture Person insisted in having his picture taken and refused to have the blood washed from his face until yesterday forenoon, over forty hours after the shooting, though Sheriff Armstrong gave him an opportunity to have a doctor give attention three times. Wednesday afternoon Frank B.

Cumerford, a Chicago attorney, who had been retained to assist in the defense of Person, and at once demanded privilege of having the picture taken. Sheriff Armstrong stood by his decision to allow no picture made, and there were warm words used. Cumerford said he would get Person out on habeas corpus if he did not allow the picture taken, and was told to go ahead soon as he was ready. The sheriff made it plain he was in charge of the jail and that there would be no picture made while he had charge. He was also told that any time he wanted to see Person to come to the sheriff's office and he would go with him to the jail.

Yesterday morning Cumerford, A. F. Miller, Jas. Meagher, of Bloomington, who lived in Clinton and was president of the shops union when the strike was declared and i is a strong friend of Person and a doctor from Bloomington, went to the jail and demanded of Oscar Lillard, who is employed at the jail as a helper that Person be- brought out at once to have a picture taken. Lillard told him he had no authority to do so, but would call the sherif, and started to telephone him.

Cumerford said "Run along, As Lillard is about 50 years old he rebelled at the remark and told him to go where it is hotter than here, and that he would not call him. Then Cumerford requested Mrs. Armstrong to have Person brought out. She flatly denied the request, and there were warm words. Mrs.

Armstrong took one of his remarks as an insult and telephoned her husband to come to the jail at once. He hurried there and as he entered the door, his wife told him Cumerford had insulted her. The sheriff seized him with his left hand and was about to strike him when he realized he was an officer and did not give the blow. Then Cumerford again demanded that he be allowed to have the picture made, and once more met refusal. Then he charged that Person had not been given medical attention, and was told that he had been given three or four chances to have a doctor, and he refused to accept such attention.

Cumerford told the Sheriff he was from Chicago and that he was Gov. Dunne's attorney. The sheriff told (Continued on pare eight).