Individual Details

In 1908 WW bought a newspaper in Rock Island, Illinois. The seller (John Looney) promised that he would not publish another newspaper in the same town; however, he went to the other end of town, took a building there and began to publish another newspaper in competition with the one he had sold to Wilmerton. The result was they met in the street, several times. There was a feud, there were shots fired, and both of them were wounded. Wilmerton spent some time in the hospital and wounds that he received in this feud shortened his life in the end.

In the Nebraska State Journal, February 23, 1908,
"Rock Island, Ill. Feb 22--W.W. Wilmerton, owner of the Tri-City Journal, and John Looney, owner of the Rock Island News, exchanged seven shots across a street at each other today. Looney was slightly wounded. Both men were arrested. The shooting was a result of a personal feud which had been carried on in print. Each says the other was the aggressor.

"Wilmerton and Looney were released under $5,000 bond each on a charge of assault with intent to kill.

"The men first quarreled a year ago over the ownership of the Rock Island News, in which both were then interested. Wilmerton finally got control of the News, but before he took possession a stick of dynamite was exploded in the News press room, wrecking it and endangering the lives of several persons sleeping in the building."

WW disappeared for a time sometime before 1929. He had become interested in gold mines in Mexico. The gold mines he purchased didn't contain any gold.

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Birth	7 Nov 1861	Preemption, Mercer, Illinois, USA
Residence	1870	Preemption, Mercer, Illinois, USA
Residence	1880	Preemption, Mercer, Illinois, USA
Marriage	8 Nov 1882	Rock Island, Rock Island, Illinois, USA - Anna Elisabeth BREHME
Residence	1900	Preemption, Mercer, Illinois, USA
Residence	1910	Rock Island, Illinois, USA
Residence	1915	Davenport, Scott, Iowa, USA
Residence	1925	Davenport, Scott, Iowa, USA
Residence	1927	204 Dixwell Ct, Davenport, Scott, Iowa, USA
Residence	1930	Davenport, Scott, Iowa, USA
Death	25 Jan 1936	Moline, Rock Island, Illinois, USA
Burial	Jan 1936	Fairmont Cemetery, Moline, Rock Island, Illinois, USA
Alt name		Wallace William WILMERTON

Spouse	Anna Elisabeth BREHME (1863 - 1947)
Child	William Wallace WILMERTON III (1878 - 1878)
Child	Edith Mae WILMERTON (1882 - 1962)
Child	Bert Arthur WILMERTON (1885 - 1943)
Child	Clarence Cleveland WILMERTON (1887 - 1951)
Child	Roy Wallace WILMERTON (1888 - 1983)
Child	Walter WILMERTON (1891 - 1892)

Father	Judge William Wallace "The Squire" WILMERTON (1822 - 1908)
Mother	Rhoda Ann KELSEY (1824 - 1894)
Sibling	Louisa WILMERTON (1850 - 1912)
Sibling	Frank WILMERTON (1854 - 1922)

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