The dead body of Kate Ryan, known in the Red-Light District of Davenport as Rose Earl, was found under a tree in Fairmount Cemetery, with a bullet in her head and every sign pointed to murder.
The killer was likely Peter Shardis, aka Pete Sardine. No photos
exist, but the name conjures up pictures of a scrawny weasel-like guy with
bulging fisheyes popping out of his head. Probably a sinister look on his face
or a jagged scar across his cheek. Maybe both.
A worker at the Fairmount Cemetery found the body on his way to
work. There was a horse standing by the road, and just past it, a buggy wrapped
around a tree, and further down the lane, a whip.
“The body was in a ravine about a hundred feet away,” reported The
Daily Times, “face down, stretched over the ground, with its head just over
the hill. When the police rolled the body over, the girl had a bullet hole
between her eyes.”
The girl had a hat pin clenched in her hand. Her clothing
was badly torn, suggesting she’d struggled with her attacker.
The reporter noted Kate was dressed entirely in black—skirt,
jacket, and hat. She wore high black heels, and her underwear were bright white
in contrast to the rest of her outfit. And jostled, as if the killer had tried
to slip them off, then gave up.
