Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-06-27
MOB LAW In ILLINOIS.
1.-THE LAWS DEL Y" EXCUSES ONE
MORE LAWLESS DEED.

| Negro Charged with Rape Hung nj
Charleston by IA Mob Tram OtIIea Towns
Which BuI.Iored "a Railway Conductor
A Worthless Citizens Deadly Work
Criminal Occurrences In Variety.
CHARLESTON, Ills, June - William
| Moore, IA negro aged about ~, was taken
| from jail here by mob about | o'clock yes
tertlay morning and hnnyed 10 the frame
work of n wntcr. tanG On Saturday even
ing II young girl named Mary A. Bumgarl.
ner cams here from ner home at Eninghau
by train. Moore was at the depot when tile
tram arrived AID she asked him the way IL
| The h,itse Of friend. lie said he would
| direct her hut instead of doing 50 took tn,
| girl to lonely spot ON the roadside and
| criminnlly assaulted her. She returned Il
| Charleston and told an officer of the crime
| The girl is not well balanced mentally, but
| she told her story in such a stTaightfor
| ward manner as 10 convince the authori
| tias of her trutlifulness, and Moore was ar
| rested at his home in Mattnon, Monday
morning he was brought before Squire Me
| Fadlen who, on hearing the girls statement
held the prisoner in sI,0p bail for the action
| of the grand jury. He had up 20 that time
been confined in the caahnuSe NJ Mattopn,
| hut as there had been some talk of summary
| vengeance il wns deemed advisable to re.
| move the prisoner to the jail here. This
| was accordingly done Monday night, and, al
| Though the thrats of lynching were still be
| ing occasionally made, the sheriff paid little
| or no attention to them, not thinking il like
ly any mob would attack the Jail.
Late Monday night, however, IA party of
men boarded an east bound freight train at
Mattoon, telling the conductor they had i'm
portant business over east. He said that he
| 4 l...a
they paid no heed to his orders TO get Oft.
The conductor, not nm Outstanding the mat
ter, and fearing violence to himself, gave uT
all effort TO rid the trains of its mwelcome
passengers who rode to this city and quietly
dropped Off the various cars A reconnoiter.
ing party sent on ahead learned that Moore
had been security lodged in jail couple Of
hours before, The strangers remained quiet
in various portions of town up TO about |
o'clock, when they ''cdine' to the prison
and aroused the jailer He refused to hand
ont the keys, and the mobRt once proceeded
to break in the door While the parleyng
was going on the states attorney, sheriff
and other prominent citizens appeared and
vanly urged the crowd to refrain from
carrying out its design. In few minutes
the avengers had gained an entrance to the
Jail, and, breaking open Moore's cell dragged
depot All Of the lynchers who took actual
part in the lynching wore silk handkerchicfs
over their faces and it is said none of then
were recognized, although the voices Of sew
era sounded familiar to the sheriff and
others who protested against lynching the
terrified negro.
A turn of the rope was put around. Moore's
neck and he was asked il he was guilty. He
replied that he was not, and in answer to
query as to whether he had anything TO say
asked to be allowed to sing "A hymn. The
request was granted and Moore began to
sing hymn, the crowd joining the chorus.
The wretched criminal then prayed briefly
and several onlookers begged the lynchers to
take him back to Jail. For answer there
were repeated cries of Hang himln the VIC
tim meantime asking in piteous tones for
mercy. He was again asked If he was guilty
and reiterated his protestations of innocence,
while acknowledging in terror stricken tones
that he had taken the girl from the depot
for immoral purposes This satisfied
the lynchers, who at once strung him up tC
the framework of the tank, the masked exc
cutioners only refra ming from riddling his
body with bullets on account of the fear that
hystanders might be hit. Moore struggled
terribly for few minutes, but gradually
the spasms subsidized until at length only
slight convulsive twitchings gave evidence
that the miserable wretch still had life
these at length ceased also and the lynchers
quietly dispersed, leaving the body swinging
in the air. 1t was cut down in twenty five
minutes by the sheriff who cared for it unit
the dead mans wife and daughter came over
from NATION and took it away.
Before leaving here some members of the
lynching party announced that several col
ored profiigates in this city and Nation
would better leave the vicinity or they would
receive early attention. A few years ago a
negro who murdered his wife and threw her
body into we'll was sentenced to the pen
itentiary for n short term The lighthess of
the punishment inflicted on that offender
caused general Indignation and it was de
termined on this occasion to take DO chances
on the laws delay and uncertainty