Birmingham age-herald., 1895-05-26
THEY REFUSED ID JUMP, So the lnfuriated Mob Gave Them
 a Send-0f. DESPERATELY IN EARNEST Were the Men Who Figured in This Double
 lynchiog Bee. feARy- ALTGELD WOULD INTERVENE A s'Neither Bars of Steel Nor Strains of fJS loquence Could Stay Their Frenzy. l< Details of Terrible Affair at
 Danville, Ill.
fARs- ALTGfLD WOULD INTERVENE


 morning a mob which had been in pos session of Vermillion countys jail for several hours succeeded in locating John Hall, Jr., and William Royce in their cells took them outside and hanged them for assaulting Miss Laura Bar nett From midnight, when the crowd first made their appearance at the jail doors, until the victims were reached 1t was determined, desperate struggle of frenzied mob to meet out summary Justice battling against heavy oaken doors and iron bars and occasionally halted by the grim stand of the little band of defenders of law and order un- der command of Sheriff Thompson.
 After repeated efforts to break down the outer jail door with a telephone pole, the crowd for a moment desisted in theip efforts to break into the jail. Ed Me Cusker stood on the jail steps and ad- dressed the mob, begging them to desist. They laughed him down. Sheriff Thomp- son, his wife and Deputy Sheriff James Stoan also besought the mob to disperse.
 F. V. Barnett, father of the injured girl, said to Mrs Thompson: Madam, you never had daughter assaulted, and her blood demands vengeance" His re- ply was wildly applauded.
 At o'clock Sheriff Thompson sent for Judge Bookwalter of the circuit court, who addressed the crowd from the jail corridor He made an earnest plea to let the law take it's course. He assured them that the men, Hall and Royce, would receive severe punishment if found guilty; that a trial jury would do It's duty But the leaders, who were among the most prominent men in the county, replied: Yes, we know that a jury will convict them and give them severe sentence, but Governor Altgeld will pardon them out. He recently par doned three brutes you sent up from Champaign county for twenty years, and he will pardon these men. If any other man than Altgeld was governor, we would not. lynch these men, but we are determined he will never have a chance to turn them loose.''--
 With these words they again com- meneed work. Sheriff Thompson, find ing himself powerless to control the mob, telegraphed the governor asking that the militia be sent to his aid.
 At 3;15 the mob secured both prisoners and started toward the bridge with ropes about their necks. They were hanged almost upon the scene of their crime
 when the two men were taken out of jail they were marched with ropes around their necks through the main streets to the bridge where they as saulted the girl Here a long delay en- sued. Royce wanted his father sent for and begged his captors to wait for his coming. He was indulged in this until day commenced to break at $40. Then the lynchers became impatient and re- fused any further waiting Royce's last words were: q am innocent, but I am prepared to die. have made my peace with God"
 Halls were: Those are my sentiments. but l am not ashamed of what 1 have done"
 Ropes were fastened to the bridge railing and the boys asked to jump They refused. Several men rushed at each of them and cast them over the rail. The ropes were 15 feet long and stout, and well tied. After severe bodily l. convulsions for about seven minutes life appeared to be extinct. Their faces were not covered. They were hanged 10 feet apart on the same side of the bridge. Their bodies were cut down at o'clock and taken to the undertaker's office, where an inquest is being held.
 Miss Barnett's condition this morning is reported as very serious.
 A criminal assault was made at 7:30 o'clock Thursday evening on Miss Laura Barnett by Hall and Royce. Miss Bar nett, in company with Lillian Draper was walking on Vermillion river bridge, at the foot of Main street, when she was accosted by the two men. The girls started to run. One of the men knocked Miss Barnett down. Miss Draper made her escape up Main street Her shrieks collected a crowd, which started in pur- suit of Hall and Royce.
 The latter dragged Miss Barnett with them. They passed John Downs an old man, who attempted to interfere. He was knocked down by Hall The two as- sailants took the girl through the fields to the river bottom. where Miss Barnett was found at 12:30 in an unconscious condition. Both the young women be- long to respectable families.
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