Omaha daily bee., 1895-05-26
MOB KNEW WHAT 1T WANTED
Appeals of the Sheriff, His Wife and the
Judge We're Alike Ignored.
CRIMES THAT CALLED FOR VENGEANCE
Father OF n Girl who Was Criminaliy As
saulted Headed the Mob which bat
tered Down the Jali Doors aud
Lynched the Perpetrators.

DANVILLE, ILL.,, May 25.-After several
hours hard work the mob which was
after the two men who assaulted Miss Laura
Barnett, broke into the Jail, dragged the
victims off to the scene Of their crime and
hanged them from the bridge over the
Vermiion river.
1t was just $3.50 a. M, as the first streaks
Of daylight were appearing in the east, when
John Halls. jr., and William Royce, both of
them young men of unsavory reputation were
hanged to the Gilbert street bridge On the
way TO the bridge from the Jail a process
sion was formed, taking the boys through
Main street Halls and Royce both walked
with a firm step and a rope around their
necks. Royce wanted to see his father and
delay followed. His father did not come.
Halls said he was not ashamed of what he
had done They would not jump and they
were both thrown over the bridge railing at
3: :45. They dropped thirty feet and death
followed, both expiring in fearful convulsons.
Their faces were not covered. They hung
side by side on the esat railing.
The crime for which Halls and Royce were
lynched was committed at 80 o'clock Thurs
day evening. Miss Laura Barnett, IN company
with Miss Lillian Draper, was walking en-
the Vermillion river bridge when accosted.
The girls started to run. One man knocked
Miss Barnett down, Miss Draper making
her escape up Main street and, her shrieks
collected crowd that started in pursuit of
Halls and Royce who dragged Miss Barnett
with them. They passed John Downs, an
old man, who attempted to interfere. He
was knocked down by Halls. The men took
the girl to the river bottoms, where they ac-
complished their purpose. Miss Barnett was
| found unconscious several hours later. Halls
and Royce were arrested, waived preliminary
| examination and were bound over to the
grand jury.
| The mob was composed Of 1000 people,
mostly farmers from near the village OF
| Indianola, where Laura Barnett liyed In
| the jail before being taken out both boys
| protested their innocence, although they had
| been identified by Miss Barnetts COM
| panon yesterday at the Jail. Royce was
NEST slowly strangled His struggles lasted
| for fifteen minutes. The mob then quietly
| dispersed. The coroner was notified and
| the bodies were cut down and taken to an
| undertaking establishment. Miss Barnett,
! one of the victims, still hovers between life
| and death.
| CHICAGO, May 25.-Touching the charge
made by one of the speakers at the lynching
| to the effect that the mob did not propose
| to allow the law to take it's course because
| Governor Altgeld would pardon the guilty
men, the governor, who is now here, said
today: "This is simply the result of re-
of deliberate lying which has been carried
| on for several years. The republican papers
| know that the records at the capitol at
| Springfield show that l have fallen far below
| the average number of pardons and COM
mutations granted each year while the num-
ber of prisoners has nearly doubled, and con-
| sequently the number of applications for
| pardons has nearly doubled" The governor
| then proceeded to quote figures in sub
| sanitation of his statement.