Crime News for Montgomery County, Illinois

Montgomery County
Crime News

Rob Foot Ball Boys Clothes
...During the game someone entered the gymnasium and stole a gold watch from the clothes of Albert Ackle and $5.75 in money from the various boys' clothes. [Litchfield Daily Union, Litchfield, Illinois, Friday, November 27, 1914 - Lynn Boyd Reener]

Mrs Mary J Terrell, of Nokomis, who is now serving a term in the Joliet penitentiary for the murder of her husband, is endeavoring to get her case before the State Board of Pardons. [Litchfield Daily Union, Friday, November 27, 1914]

Decatur Man Arrested Here
John Kane employed by the Ozark Pipe Line crew was arrested on a charge of contempt of court and wife abandonment. Returned to Decatur.
[Litchfield Daily Union, Monday, April 25, 1927 - submitted by Lynn Boyd Reener]

Berger In Jail Again [headline]
On New Charge of Murder - New Grand Jury Returns New Indictments Against Him
Benton, IL - Charlie Berger, gang leader, was brot to the Franklin Co jail on a new charge of murder in the slaying of Joe Adams, former mayor of West City…..
[Litchfield Daily Union, Friday, April 29, 1927 - Submitted by: Lynn Boyd Reener]

[Litchfield Daily Union, Monday, June 6, 1927 - submitted by Lynn Boyd Reener]

Stolen Car Was Found - A Chevrolet car stolen from Henry Niemann of Nokomis Friday night was found Saturday abandoned on Huber Hill, this side of Hillsboro.
Arrested for Robbing Store - James Friesland of Schram City was arrested Saturday on a charge of robbing the co-operative store at Schram City on April 25. He admitted the theft. Friesland had been away since the robbery. He will be given a hearing this week.
Arrested for Carrying a Gun - Albert McCulley residing on the Murphy farm northwest of this city filled up on mule yesterday and came to town. He was carrying a gun and was arrested by Officer Goodin. He was taken before Judge Morris this morning where he pleaded guilty and was fined $5 and costs which he paid.

[Litchfield Daily Union, Friday, June 30, 1927 - submitted by Lynn Boyd Reener]

Pleasant Hill Church Board offers $25 reward for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of person or persons that stole carpet, chairs, gas tank, piano scarf and class curtain from the church. Walter, Bandy, pres.
I T S Depot Safe Is Blown at Hillsboro - "Yeggs" at one o'clock this morning dynamited the safe of the IL Traction System at Hillsboro. The charge put in the safe was so heavy that all the furnishings in the depot were wrecked. The Yeggs obtained only $20 in money. This is the third time safes have been destroyed in this depot.
Nokomis Man Held Under Serious Charge - Lloyd Seats, 27, of Nokomis was lodged in jail at Hillsboro this morning on a warrant sworn out by Joe Punzus of Nokomis charging him with a statutory charge, the offense having been committed on the person of Mary Punezus aged 14 of Nokomis. Seats was placed under a $700 bond and being unable to furnish same he was taken to jail.
I will pay $5 reward for the arrest and conviction of the party or parties who stole my small Elgin bicycle last Saturday evening, Victor Hauser, 429 S State St.

How Big City Spoiled A Barber
[Litchfield Daily Union, Friday, July 1, 1927 - submitted by Lynn Boyd Reener]
How a country boy changed under the influence of life in the big town was told by Mrs May King of Litchfield and her husband, Justin King, when the latter had a preliminary hearing on a charge of wife and child desertion in George S Monroe's justice of peace court Tuesday morning…He has been bound over to await the action of the Nov grand jury…Mr and Mrs King formerly lived in Litchfield, but went to Chicago several months ago. There he secured employment as a barber and there a change came over him. He developed a liking for dancing and shows which was not shared with his wife who had to care for their four small children. Eventually, King left her and the children…The oldest child is about 7 years and the youngest, Grace, is only 5 months old. Mr King is about 28 and was brought up on a farm north of Litchfield … - Montgomery News.

Clothing Store at Witt Robbed Early This Morning
[Litchfield Daily Union, Thurs, July 7, 1927 - submitted by Lynn Boyd Reener]
Gents and Ladies Clothing Were Taken---One Department Cleaned - Some Time after midnight the Levin Clothing Store was robbed. Fifty suits of men's clothes, all the ladies dresses, rain coats, spring coats, and gents furnishings were stolen. The robbery was discovered by night officer, Williamson at 3 o'clock this morning.

[Litchfield Daily Union, Friday, July 8, 1927 - submitted by Lynn Boyd Reener]

Birger to be Tried by a Jury of Men at Benton IL - Plea to be tried by a jury of women was denied Charley Birger, the most feared gangster in "Bloody Williamson" county.
Lockard Is Under Arrest Again - Art Lockard of Pana but formerly of Nokomis and well known about this place was locked up in the Christian Co jail on a charge of passing three counterfeit $20 bills in Witt…
Farm Hand to Die in Electric Chair - Springfield - James Hayes was found guilty of the murder of Mrs Sarah Flatt on the night of May 24 at the Harold Kundson farm near Old Berlin.

Disturbed Campfire Girls
[Litchfield Daily Union, Sat., July 9, 1927 - submitted by Lynn Boyd Reener]
Emmit Virden of Hillsboro disturbed the peace at the Hillsboro City Lake yesterday and he was arrested by Sheriff Hill. He pleaded guilty before Judge Greene and was fined $10 and costs which he paid. The Campfire Girls were having an outing and complaint was made by them.

William Laws Shot to Death on CB&Q Train in Litchfield
A three pronged investigation was underway today in the killing of William Everett Laws Jr whose dead body was taken from a Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy coal train at Bushnell Saturday about noon time.
Young Laws was shot to death as he road the train through Litchfield Friday night [d. 28 DE 1934] about 10 o'clock. The body of the lad was seen as the train passed through Beardstown.
….More than 150 shot gun pellets were removed from the torso alone….
William Laws Jr, accompanied by an older brother, George, known as Bud, started his fatal ride at the farmer's elevator Friday night between 9:30 and 10 o'clock. They had been visiting a half-sister, Mrs Myron Reener, who resides on East Columbia street and spent the evening playing cards and listening to the radio.
When they decided to go home, they "Hopped" the Burlington coal train at the Farmer's elevator to ride to their home, which is on Main street, along side the Burlington tracks, north of Ferdon street. The trains slow down to take on water at the tank about three blocks north of the Texaco filling station. George got off the train at the Ferdon street crossing. William was on a coal car several lengths back. George saw the younger boy on the coal hopper, he said yesterday, as the car passed under a street light. He went on home to bed, he said, and when Junior did not come home he thought the lad had decided to go on to visit an aunt in Virden. He said the boy had talked during the day of going to Virden.
….Apparently the boy had been killed at close range and a sawed off shot gun was used. Two charges were sent into the body and the car on which the body was found was spattered with pellets. More than 300 pellets were removed from the body by the Bushnell undertaker….
William Laws Jr was born in Litchfield and would have been 17 years of age next March. He attended the junior high school in the seventh grade. Surviving are the parents, Mr and Mrs William Laws Sr, six brothers, Rosco [Earl Roscoe Law], George, Halford [Gerald Alford Law], Ivan [Wilbur Ivan], Eugene [Milbourne Eugene "Cotton" Law], and Rolla [Rauly A Law] and a sister, Mrs Myron Reener [Myron Cloud w/o Roy Reener].
Funeral services will be held at the Baptist church Wednesday afternoon at 2 o'clock. Rev J T Dougherty officiating. Interment will be made in Elmwood cemetery. [The Litchfield News Herald, Monday, 31 Dec 1934 - submitted by Lynn Boyd Reener]
[Note: The coroner's jury in Bushnell urged murder charges for the slayer; but, they did not establish who that person was.]