The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1881-10-07
A MURDERER LYNCHED.
A Prisoner in the Bloomington (El3.
Jail Murders the Jaiier-Fhe MUIR
derer Seized and Executed by 81
HOWiing Mob.

BLOOMINGTON, H., Oct 8.
About $50 o'clock Saturday evening three
discharges of a revolver following each other
in rapid succession were heard in the county
Jail. Then the people on the street began to
cry, "Police police !" and run toward the
jail building, at the corner of Center and Mar
ket streets. Immediately rumor prevailed that
theprisoners had obtained pistols, had killed the
Sheriff and Jailer, and were making their es-
cape. The fact was, a prisoner named Charles
Pierce, a horse thief, had murdered Teddy
Franks, the County Jailer Franks while
changing the prisoner, Pierce alias Hewlett,
from one cell to another, was murdered in cold
blood by Pierce, who seized the jailers revolt
yer from Franks hip pocket, shooting him
three times and killing him instantly. The
third shot, large ball, went clear through the
body.
Within q few moments after this tragedy
had occurred. a large number of people had
gathered in front of the north door of the
Jail, within which the body of Teddy Franks
was lying stark in death. Walking among the
people, you could hear men say "This is too
bad This comes from the failure of our
courts to punish crime. He ought to be hung
'Don't stir up mob !" law-and-order man
would say. "Let the law take its course"
''The law be cursed" was the reply.
"There is no law against murder and other
crime in Mclean county. He ought to be
hanged"
Then some one cried "Let us take him
out %
Cheers followed this, and other voices cried:
Take him out p
After an hours excitement, rush was made
and the work of breaking into the jail was
commenced.
For TWO hours the mob worked at the jail
with six sledge hammers and batterlng rams
made Of great pieces Of timber.
Sheriff Alor and his deputies and the city po-
lice soon ascertained that they could do nothing
to restrain the reckless men and BOYS who COM
posed the assaulting crowd. Fully 5000 per-
sons were in the bowling, yelling multitude. At
last the mob gained admittance to the Jail,
secured the murderer of Franks, took him to a
tee on Market street, near the northeast
corner of Center and Market, put rope
around his neck, threw one end across a branch
and pulled the culprit up. One of the mob
climbed up the tree and out upon the branch
to which the murderer was hanging, and, amid
the cheers of the delighted people, pulled the
hanging body up three OF four feet and let it
drop
''Pull him up higher !" the crowd would
CRY. The man on the branch would comply
with the request and let the body drop with
dull thud, while the savage crowd would
cheer and laugh. The knot had slipped behind
the head of the corpse, and the head was
| thrown forward. The eyes stared and the pale
| face turned from side to SIDE a spectacle which
the maddened crowd seemed to enjoy. 1t
cheered and yelled and shouted "There's law
for you'll Course the courts p was cried
| here and there.
| At last the man on the branch caught the
rope, slipped down it, threw his legs around
the neck of IKE corpse and jumped to the
/! ground. The crowd seemed to be delighted by
! this feat. It cheered and yelled and shouted
/ About that time rain began to fall, though the
great crowd fingered about, wading in the mud
and by streaming gaslight, viewing the dan
| Cling murderer.
When the murderer was raised the first time,
! Officer Bailey, of the police force, imperiled
his life by running in, cutting the rope and let
| ling Pierce fall to the ground. In attempting
to repeat it he came near being killed. A large
number of people climbed on top of a shed to
witness the execution, when the building went
| crashing to the ground. Strangely, none were
! seriously hurt. After thirty minutes the muir
derer was cut down and the Coroner took
| charge of the body.
The lynchers had key of gunpowder ready
with which to blow up the jail if they failed to
batter it down.
| All day yesterday Sunday the wrecked jail
and the building in which lay the remains of
! the lynched man were the center of attraction.
Thousands visited. the jail, looked at the
wrecked doors, windows and brickwork, at the
| terrible blood stains on the floor and on the
counterpane on which Franks died, and which
was saturated with the bright and vivid
crimson of arterIal blood. The remains of
| Pierce lay in a box of ice at the undertaker's,
| and constant stream passed in at the front
| door and out at the back. The fatal rope was
around his neck The face was livid with coag-
lliated blood, which extended down to the cen
ter of the chest yet the face wore q peaceful
expression. Many ladies tainted at the sight.
At least 5000 persons viewed the remains.
A card was tackled on the elm tree. on
which tho following was written:
Bloomington Mclean County, H.
Amman, axman, spare this tree, and never
touch a single bough, and may God spare this
elm Tree forever to grow to mark where the
! first justice, a murder, ever was done in Mclean
county, and may the good people stand by the
| boys that did it,
While II deprecate the method by which
| the end was attained there seems to be no
regret whatever that the murderer met his
death.