Prophetstown's rcord as a peaceful hamlet was shattered twice during the week-end. Old John Barleycorn was responsible in both cases and in both cases the stimulant brought outsiders into conflict with sober, peaceful local citizens and landed the offenders in Justice A.C. Sturtevant's court.
Saturday evening Edison Mathis, Hooppole young man, created a disturbance in the foyer of the Town Theatre and was taken in tow by Policeman Rex Lawrence. He was smoking in the foyer and when requested to desist by Manager Kermit Reinboth he left the building. Kermit went to the auditorium to check on the heat and upon his return found Mathis again smoking in the foyer. Requested a second time to put his cigar away or to do his smoking outside, he refused to do so and became aggressive with the result that Officer Lawrence was called. in makin his exit from the lobby Mathis swung the door so violently that glass on the bottom of the ticket booth wa broken. Taken before Justice Sturtevant he plead guilty to a disorderly charge and was fined $10 and costs, also agreeing to pay whatever sum the repairs to the theatre amount to.
Sunday Evening just after Mr. and Mrs. J.K. Urick and Mr. and Mrs. M.P. Brewer arrived home from a visit with the latters son Buel at the Moline hospital the second disturbance occurred. Mr. and Mrs. Urick had left the rewers at their home and drove down Washington Street to Short Street where Jess turned left to park in front of their flat. A car was coming behind the Urick car and when the Uricks alighted from their machine a man called from the other car, which had stopped, and asked Jess where in ---- he learned to drive a car. With a record of 24 years' driving without an accident, Jess thought this was an undeserved reflection on his ability as a drive and he rtorted with a "who in -- wants to know?". Immediately four men were disgorged from the other car and one of them proceeded to interrogate Jess more closely and seized the front of his clothing. Seeing three others coming, Jess went into a clinch and the two went down on the bricks. Jess lit underneath, but turned his opponent and sat astride him when the others arrived. Upon their promise to take care of their friend, he let him up. Mr. and Mrs. Urick retired to the entry of their flat and started to close the door. One of the men stuck his head in the doorway and blamed Mr. Urick for the trouble, embellishinghis remarks with a name which propmted Jess to reply with a back-handed slap. The other two men joined in and the melee was resumed in the entry with Mrs. Urick assistingher husband. City Marshall Ralph Sibley was called and broke up the party, ordering three of the men to proceed to the city jail. When they demurred and wanted to argue the matter Ralph pulled his trusty "Hog-leg" and they accompanied him to the lockup without further protest.
Taken before Justice A.C. Sturtevant, they gave their names as George Aschenbrenner, the principal contended, Eugene Brooks and James Allen all of Dixon. A fourth member of the part took no part except as a peacemaker and was not arrested. Each of the trio was fined $10 and costs, making a total of $11.40, which they paid. After the hearing the young men admitted that among them they had consumed a pint of hard liquor and its potency was responsible for their predicament.
Prophetstown Echo January 26, 1938
