The National tribune., 1882-08-19
A LYNCHING PREVENTED,
OF PRISONERS IN THE HOPE
OF EXPORTING A CONFESSION.
The Alleged Assailants of Young Lady Dragged
From their Cells by MOb-They Protest their
Innocence in the Face of Threatened Death. and
are Finally Released.

An Associated Press dispatch from Chicago
dated the 18th inst, says: A mob last night a
1ayIorsVllle, ILL.,, took Montgomery, Pettis, ant
Clementi, charged with outraging Miss Bond
school teacher, from jail, and tried in vain t
extort confession by alternate hanging AM
lowering them. Fire breaking out in tow
most of the mob went to it, and the Prosecutin.
Attorney and the father of Miss Bond Bersuad
ed the others to let the prisoners be put bacl
| III JAIL Following are the details of the at
| tempt; After the conclusion of the hearisg il
the case, the crowd remained about the iaiI il
perfect quiet until nine o'clock, awaiting tht
arrival of an organized party. AS the tim,
wore on and no party came the mob becam,
impatient, and some cried: Break the dooI
in and bring them out" few men who were
! pretty well intoxicated moved around urging
general attack, and succeeded in getting the
crowd worked up. They walked up to the
door of the jail and boldly asked for the pris
| oners. The door, which had been opened from
within, was closed in their faces and they fell
bach In a short time they rallied sufficiently
TO make another attempt, and after many
efforts, succeeded in working their way into the
jail. They then pushed up stairs to the cells.
The Sheriff abandoned the jail to the mob who
went TO work to get the prisoners out. After
half hours work Pettis and John Montgomery
We're pulled out through an opening in the top
OF cell and handed over to the mob A brand
new rope was suddenly produced and thrown
around the necks of the men. The mob as
sailed them in the most horrible language.
They endeavored by blows threats, and every
means known to them to induce the wretches
TO confess. am innocent, gentlemen" cried
Pettis, in agonized voice; " 1 know am going
to die, but as God is my judge l am innocent"
Then there was surging of the crowd in the
small apartments, and a cry,
TAKE THEM OUT AND HANG THEM"
John Montgomery, in the meantime, was ex-
claiming, am innocent. l don't know any,
thing" The workers of the mob were search
ing for Clement, who could not be found The
cells were all opened by the use of a crowbar,
and then it was discovered that Clement was
not In the Jail. Pettis and Montgomery were
then dragged down stairs and out into the iaiI
yard, the crowd looking for good tree as they
went along. The trees were all saplfngs. and
a halt was made, during which it was sought
V.
the man still protested his innocence. "To
the courthouse yard" some one cried, and
other voices took it up. To the courthouse
yard then proceeded the mob, threatening and
bullying the prisoners on their way. Lee Pet
tbs repeated every minute, II am innocent, I
am innocent" The court house yard was soon
reached, and the crowd halted under tall
tree. Some nimble fellow climbed the tree
and threw the end of the rope into forked
branch. dozen hands caught the loose end,
and John Montgomery was
JERKED OFF HIS FEET
The poor wretch pleaded innocence, and a
hundred voices called upon him to speak out
md tell his story. He said 81 have no story
to tell. am innocent. know no more about
this matter than you" His voice was as weak
as woman's, and as pathetic as childs, but
5he infurated crowd hooted and yelled at him.
telling him he was dead man anyway, and he !
night as we'll confess a am innocent" reit- |
erated Montgomery. "Up he goes, then" |
shouted those at the other end of the rome. and !
Up he did go. His body was pulled up about |
our feet from the ground and kept there full .
minute. The man was not strangled. but be-
ng exhausted and weakened with fear the
nen who held the rope let him down, and he
vas again asked to confess his guilt. The man
ould not speak at first, but laid limp upon the
raSs. After he recovered his breath he finally
aid: Gentlemen, l know / am dying, and [
ell you l am as innocent as you are" 4 cry
Or A. d. Bond, the father of the victim. was
hen raised by the crowd, and big, burly man
ushed his way in. He stood beside their
risoner and asked him to tell if he was not in
he school house on the afternoon of the ont
age. But through all the man maintained
is ignorance of the guilty parties A cowardly
ang stood on the fence, and on the outskirts
the seething mass of people, yelling for the
IMMEDIATE execution of the prisoner. For an
our those about the man talked, bullied,
ormed and threatened, but the poor, abiect
retch repeatedly reiterated his innocence.
In the meantime Clement had been found
I'd was held by the mob on the other side of ! .
lie yard. Covering down with his head ON
is breast, his neck drawn in like turtles, he
ook and shivered, and when goaded chattered
1T his innocence. Lee Pettis was held with a
pc round his neck aNd tortured also He
udly and boldly proclaimed his innocence.
I'd told the mob to 90 on and hang him. @,
was about to be swung up again.
hen Mr. Bond cut the rope, and the prisoner :
is taken to one side of the yard and subjected
another series of questions. 1t was all in :
in, the men who held the rope had too much ,
art to hang man after his repeated declara- !
ms of innocence, and gradually their manner F
ftened.
TURNING THEM LOOSE Il
:" Turn them loose!" was yelled, and in a few
nutes the cry became general The fringe
men on the outside of the crowd yelled Il
omseIves hoarse, Hang him " remember /
ur famiics!" O
A light in the western part of the town drew V
cntion away from the prisoners. A large A
rn was on fire, and q large portion of the Of
,wd rushed away to sec it, This had the 81
ect of dampening the ardour of the rest. and cl
, prisoners were, after u consultation among d
; leaders, taken back to Jail and placed in Ii
cir cells. This movement was owing to the n
1rts of A. ID Bond and John g. brennan the al