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BATTLEWITH OFFICERSI:t-Youths Steal Car Here and Go To Hannibal To Rob Drivers of Taxis:Officer Hillary Locke Shoots Gebhart WhenHe Resists Arrest; Phillips Shot In Leg.re)ill*je-es-•eemlhehero,arit*Lawrence Gebhart, 22 years old, until three months ago employed at the Soldiers’ Home here and intermittently since that time, vas shot and killed in a battle with Hannibal police at the west end of the river bridge at Hannibal at 2 o’clock Sunday morning. ' ?Horace Phillips, of Tavlorvillo, Illinois, paroled from the state reformatory to t he Soldiersf i »Home was shot in the right thigh and seriously wounded, while a third member of the gang, which4 went to Hannibal Saturday night in a car stolen that night in Quincy, made his escape viMien heasidsi*utv*w.mieiefled through the railway tunnel at the east end of the bridge.The gun battle was staged after the three youths held upand robbed two Hannibal taxi-cab drivers, Walter I). Fowler and George R. Davis, after Phillips and the other member of the trio had taken the taxi drivers to a lonely spot on the river road, telling them their car was in trouble there.Not Virgil Woods.Phillips gave the name of the third member of the party ie i as Virgil Woods, describing him as a paroled convict who had ho served out his parole at the home and left there a month or jj jmore ago. The only Virgil Woods at the Home now, and the n- j only one who was ever there, so far as the records show, was n-j in no way implicated in the career of crime which led to young.I'll « t^ Gebhart’s death, it was shewn by a cheek up at the Horae made he; Sunday night at the instigation of The Whig-Journal. Virgil ry i Woods, who bears a high reputation at home, was never in at! trouble. He is employed in the dairy barns there and went on duty at 2:15 o’clock Sunday morning. He w ent down town Saturday night, returning to the Home at 10 o’clock and went on duty at the dairy barn early Sunday morning.Gebhart waa shot and killed as? he attempted to flee through • the tunnel through which the thirl member of the trio had raced with the Hannibal police In pursuit. As Locke started back toward the mouth of the tunnel after the man who had followed had disappeared in the darkness of the tunnel he came face to face with Gebhart, Gebhart, levelled his gun at the officer and Locke fired, the bullet striking Gebhart between tho eyes. At the time Harry Lower, night captain fired at Gebhart. An examination of the body of the slain man showed two other bullet wounds, one just above the mouth and another tn the .left breast. /Gebhart was* killed about 40 feetfrom the* nrouthef the tunnel, I . . \Four Police In BattleChief of Police A. E, (Pete) Turner, Captain Harry Lower, and Officers Hillary Lock© and Charles Dryer took part in the gun battle with tho three youths from Quincy. [Responding to a telephone call sent from Fowler immediately after he had been held up. Chief Turner and Cap-r tain Lower hastened to tho river bridge, picking up Locke and Dryer from the North Main street beat on their way. When they reached the toil house at tho west end of the bridge they asked about the car described by Fowler and learned that it bad not. crossed the bridge toward the Illinois side.Just after making their inquiry tho officers saw a car approaching from the north and rocognized it as tho car described by Fowler. They halted the car just north of the railway track, just between the east end of the tunnel and tho west end of th© bridge. One of the occupants of the car jumped out, followed closely by a second, according to Chief Turner. The two men ran west som© HI feet, turned and opened fire, which was returned by the officers. Chief Turner, after emptying I1I3 gun at the two men in the road ran around the side of the car and collided with Phillips, the last man t° leave the car. Phillips was armed with a heavy 45 calibre revolver, WHh this he struck the chief across tho mouth and then, pressing the gu^ against the officer’s chest, ordered him to stand still. Then Captain Lo*’er fired at Phillips, striking him In tho right thigh. Phillips staggered and dropped his gun, the chief struck him across the head with a can© be was carrying, knocking him | down.^ j In the meantime Locke had pur j. J sued the third member of the gang!/**![3of i ie36iyk.officers had started immediately after the first call. Fowler secured a* shotgun from Mr. Groves and got into the cab ‘driven by Davis and they started back toward the scene 7of the robbery*When Davis and Fowler reached the scene of the robbery and found the Chevrolet oar was gone, they returned to Groves’ home and left the borrowed gun and then started back to Hannibal. When they reached the crossing they learned of the battle staged between the triii from Quincy and the HunnibaV'pp?4* lice and of the death of Gebhart, the capture of Phillips and the es*cape of Woods. :V* • . *The youthful bandits got between $9 and $12 from Fowler and about; the same amount from Davis. TheyH returned a check which they took*; from Fowler’s pocket.Lawrence Gebhart had been enig ployed at the Soldiers* Home regularly for three or four years, bufe gave up his work there some three months ago, Chief Clerk Dan Wild/;: says. Lately, however, he has halt;£; temporary employment in the bar?vher shop at cottage 12, the post shop. / 7yHe was the son of Henry) GeU-7 hart, who was killed by an angp^J bull at the Home dairy barn 16, 1DZ2, yvldler^rt ploye of the Home, - was to. his duties.:•)s-d;oiete}■t-t*Lawrence was a witness at16fX.ne♦inquest over his Lather and working at the Home at the tlm'M of the tragedy. It was shown that® Henry Gebhart, father of eight' chU*;$ dren, had been attacked and hi» j skull crushed by the bull, Home- 7-stead Lad, who up to that time had 7 been considered gentle.' Paroled Convict. ;Horace Phillips is a paroled eoh*7y viet, whose home was in '^ylorviiie, III., but who was sent tOYOntlao • reformatory several years ago forcommittting a burglary at Cairo,III.kdvol.into tho tunnel and as he returned met and shot Gebhart. When Phillips was searched a second gun, a small 22 calibre revolver and a belt containing a dozen or more shells for the big 45 was taken from him. 1 j Gebhart was armed with an almost f I new 52 calibre revolver, now thought to have been one of the 1 guns stolen some time ago from the Best McCnrl sporting goods storein Quincy. Phillips was loaded Into tho police car and taken to the station, where he was given attomon for his wounds and the O’Donnell undertaking homo was notified and took 1 lie body of the slain boy bandit to the funeral home, where nn inquest was conducted Sunday after-i noon by Coroner Charles R. Scott. 1 ho jury, after hearing the testimony of Chief Turner, Captain Lower, Officer Locke, and tho two taxi drivers, returned a vnrdiet that Gebhart came to his death while resisting arrest at tho hands * Hannibal police officers and orated the officers,Identifies Stolen Car,Frank Platt, owner of the cpj used by the trio ,n then irons adventure into crime, parked his car at Sixth and Hampshire at 17:45 o'clock .Saturday night and1 went to tho Eagles hall, When hoi went to get bis car at it o’clockIof theexon-stolenuixisitwas gone, Ho notified the police,! giving a description and tic- license 1both sides.RoMhhI Two Men.About 9 o'clock Saturday night according to Phillips’ story, he ami his two companions stole a Chevrolet touring car from Sixth and Vermont strets here and drove to Hannibal, After driving about In that city for some time they planned to bold up sonio taxicab drivers, he said.They then drove the stolen car, which belonged to Frank Platt cf 511 Locust street, to a spot some distance north of the river bridge on the Hannibal river road. Leaving Gebhart in charge of the car, Phillips and the ikiid member of the trio walked back to Hannibal.Phillips went to tho office of the Keo Cab company and got Fowler to drive him up the river road to apoint about 400 yards north of (lie bridge, where he stuck a gun at the driver’s head and forced him out of tho cur, where tiebhurt searched him, Then Fowler was ordered to drive on north and not return for half an hour, Just after Fowler drove away tho other mem her of the trio arrived In it tax driven by Davis, und Davie was nts3 held up and robbed and given the same orders which had been given to Fowler, Davis was stopped as lie drove past the Union station und asked to take the man who stopped hint up the river road to where hesaid his car was stalled. When they* j- j -vV- ;*•a*-\+*■believeeyes. • • WSnumber of tho catreached the spot chosen for tlie robi nibul ixdire notm-* \i liaw'lher’» according to the story told atrTM nt . « I Q } ot the inquest Sunday afternoon byj Quincy that the cur was there, Mr.j Platt was notified and early Hu tula v , morning went to Hannibal, wiier 'Davis, ho was first ordered to driveinto a new road, but another of theidAnHfi*,! „ , j robber trio insisted that they mighthe identified his car, Me testified: »s well do tbbrietly to-tho theft of the o.tf at the!inquest.Theito incur work right the re As one of the men was talking u ! Davis another shoved a gun undei coroners jury was composed; his nose, ordered him out of tho carj of Clifford Palmer as foreman, H.M.j and then the three searched him.iaj Greene, W illiam Watson, Herbert j after removing his overcoat. In the j Ligg, J. M, Weeden and It. W, Cur*| meantime Fowler had driven to the t rier. Ben Lly, Jr., assistant prose* j home of William Graves, north ot . outing attorney of Marion county, the scene of the robbery, and tele* attended tho inquest and asked set- phoned the police station in Hannibal. As Fowler started back down the road he met Davis, who urged him not to go back down the road, many shots were fired during the! explaining that he had been stucktwo before.thescene of the hold-up ant! drove back a grave wound, it was estimated! to the Groves home and againtele-! end questions.| Although the? Hannibal police i were unable to determine just how, gun battle which cost Gebhart his: up just a minute 01 I life and landed Phillips in jail un ! Then they heard shots from * der serious robbery charges and withthat at least 30 shots were fired by] phoned the police, learning that theHe was paroled to Col, Relg. su*:y-perintendent of the Home, in be- 5 cember, 1923. In June, 1924, there® was a difficulty because of som^-7-mlssing articles and Phillips sent back to the reformatory. .Gy®He was returned to the Homo tag ;June, 1925, and has been thortVr;* - ■. .since. He slept in the basement* o(yv the hospital building and boro A® good reputation. He was a readej*® of lurid fiction hut had conducted I himself so that his parole was not in any way endangered.Gebhart during the last months: of his regular employment at the? Home was on the kitchen detail. H©developed an ambition to become a7 barber and practiced off and on at7 the Home barber shop. He was rflK,; gurded os a harmless felloe, a bit7 soft on the girls, a youth easily In* fluenced, hut not daring.He wore his yellow hair rotbe$.|§| iong and was a “dandy'* in regard®® to his clothes, wearing rather costs® ly stuff. Although the employ ear® twitted him a hit about being. 7ti.?® “sheik,” they never expected hint®! to break out in banditry.Admirer of Durkin.It is now recalled that when Ma** tin Durkin shot his way from tHa 7® Chicago police, Gebhart eagerly d©- - ® voured all the newspajter publicity:.;®. - ‘ M / 4.und other employes Durkin was u hero In hisLust October Gebhart came to. home of W, R. Bmith, 601 North®! Sixth street, and applied for a Ho was accepted as a lodger andpea red to be desinible until c 7 weeks ago when his lack ot tfep nunt’cH led 1dm to move, Mr, SmHls^$| said that the youth behaved WhlleT® In his homo and* did not show any) signs of being a l*ad actor,After leaving the £mlth homW Gebhart removed hla suit case and; ^ effects to tho home of John C, Xoty®433 North Fifth street, where h©77§ rented a room and continued to quietly, giving no offense and. tng good hours.In applying Ikuy homo Gebhart gavo as “Bob” (.arpenter und It was questiuneil. It bus not been•i plained why he changed his namViSS i unless he was at that tiino planning career of outlawry and wished conceal his own Identity. ' 7.vGebhart ownedbut that car, if he stillW'as not uset! in the robbery* ' stead, Gebhart, Phillips amithird bandit met Saturday evund ^Jtole the Chevrolet tourhtf? of Frank Platt, of 511 Locust $ which lmd been parked at Sixth £1$ Vermont street.s Mr. Platt discovered that thq: had been stolen when he was to start home, at 10 o'cloch (Continued ‘on Pag© 5J.'yfor a room athis namO)gi|T-a n a utomobiiepS?•. ‘A-*■
Newspaper Details
Quincy Morning Whig Journal
Quincy, Illinois, US
Mon, Feb 08, 1926
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 10 Aug 2022
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