The true northerner., 1881-10-07
A MURDERER LYNCHED.
A Prisoner I'm the Bloomington (Ill.
JaihMurders the Jailer-The MUIR
derer Seized and Executed by
HOwling Mob.

BLooMISGToN, H., Oct 5.
About $50 o'clock Saturday evening three
discharges of revolver following each other
in rapid succession were heard in the county
Jail. Then the people on the street began to
cry, "Police police y and run toward the
Jail building, at the corner Of Center and Mar
ket streets. Immediately rumor prevailed that
the prisoners had obtained pistols, had killed the
Sheriff and Jailer, and were making their es-
cape. The fact was, prisoner named Charles
Pierce, horse thief, had murdered Teddy
Franks, the County Jailer. Franks while
changing the prisoner, Pierce alias Hewlett,
from one cell to another, was murdered III cold
blood by Pierce, who seized the jaier's revol-
Yer from Franks hip pocket shooting him
three times and killing him instantly. The
third shot, large ball, went clear through the
body.
Within a few moments after this tragedy
had occurred. 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 msn 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
81 Take him out ~
After an hours excitement, a 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 battering 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
tree on Market street, near the northeast
corner of Center and Market, put a rope
around his neck. threw one end across 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
ery The man on the branch would comply
with the request and let the body drop with
a 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, q spectacle which
the maddened crowd seemed to enjoy. It
cheercd and yelled and shouted ''Theres law
for you !" ''Curse the courts ~ 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 TIE corpse and jumped TO the
| ground. The crowd seemed 10 be delighted by
this feat. 1t cheered and yelled and shouted.
! About that time rain began to fall, though the
! great crowd fingered about, wading III the mud
and. by streaming gasliSht, 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
! ting Pierce fail to the ground. In attempting
to repeat il 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 10 the GROUND. Strangely, none were
seriously hurt. After thirty minutes the mur-
derer was cut down and the Coroner took
/ charge of the body.
The ynchers had keg of gunpowder ready
with which TO blow up the jail # 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 he center Of attraction.
! Thousands visited the jail, looked at the
| wrecked doors. windows and brlckwork, at the
/ terrible blood stains on the floor and on the
countcrpane on which Franks died, and which
| was saturated with the bright and vivid
crimson of arterlal blood. The remains OF
Pierce lay IN box of ice at the undertakers,
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-
ulated blood, which extended down to the CEN
] ter of the chest, yet the face wore a 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 the following was written
" Bloomington, Mclean County, Ill.,
Axman, exman, spare this tree and never
touch single Tough and may God spare tlss
elm tree forever to grow to mark where the
first justice, murder, ever was done in Mclean
county, and may the good people stand by the
boys that did it,"
While all deprecate the method by which
the end was attained, there seems to be no
regret whatever that the murderer met his
death.