Evening star., 1895-05-25
LATE NEWS BY WIRE
Two Men Lynched for Fear They
Might Be Pardoned.
SENSATIONAL SCENE IN ILLINOIS
John Halls and William Royce
Taken From Jail.
KWALTER'S APPEAL

DANvILLE. ILL.,. May 25-John Halls,
tr., and William Royce. two young men of
ubsavory reputation. who assaulted Miss
Laura Barnett and Miss Lillian Draper,
were hanged to the Gilbert street bridge
the scene of their crime, at $3.50 am today.
just as the first streaks of daylight were
seen in the east
Shortly after midnight a mob of farmers
attacked the Vermillion county Jail and
demanded that Hall and Royce be given up
to them. Sheriff Thompson, his wife and
Deputy Sheriff Sloan besought the men to
depart b. Barnett, the father of the in
1ured GIRL said to Mrs. Thompson, Mad
anne, you never had daughter outraged,
and her blood demands vengeance"
His reply was wildly applauded. By this
time a railroad tie was secured, and with
three blows the outer door was battered in.
the besiegers thronged in and commenced
work on the inner door,
From midnight, when the crowd first
made its appearance at the Jail doors, until
the victims were reached it was the deter
mined. desperate struggle Of a frenzed
mob to mete summary justice, battling
against heavy oaken doors and iron bars,
and occasionally halted by the grim stand
of a little band of defenders of law and
order under the command of Sheriff
Thompson.
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, eloquent plea to let
the law take its course and not bring dis
grace on Vermillion county by the first
lynching in its history. He assured the
men that Halls and Royce would receive
severe punishment IL found guilty; that the
trial jury would do it's duty.
At first his words produced telling effect.
but the leaders, who are among the most
prominent men in the county, finally re-
Piled Yes we know the jury will convict
them, and give them a severe sentence,
but Gov. Altgeld will pardon them out. He
recently pardoned three rapists you sent up
fIom Champaign county for twenty years.
and 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 commenced
work on the doors.
Finally Royce was located, crouched and
shivering with fear. His cell door was
quickly battered down. A score of hands
dragged him unceremoniouSly from his hid
ing place. underneath the wooden bench
which serves prisoners the bed. Half
dragged and half pushed, he was hustled
into the dining room and seated on the
table. A rope was placed over his head.
and while part of the mob kept close guard
over him the others continued the search
for Halls. until he was discovered in an
other and more remote portion of the Jail.
The Lynching.
On the way to the bridge from the Jail,
procession was formed taking the boys
through Main street. Halls and Royce both
walked with a firm step, with a rope around
their necks. Royce wanted to see his ia
ther. and delay followed. His father did
not come. Halls said he was not ashamed
nf hot ha ha1 No.
jump, and they were both thrown over
the bridge railing at 3:+5. They dropped
thirty feet and death followed, both
pring in fearful commissions. Their faces
were not covered. They hung side by side
on the east railing.
The men were hanged to the Gilbert
street bridge, the scene of their crime, at
$50 am.
The mob was composed of a thousand
people. mostly farmers from near the vii
lage of Indianola, where Miss Barnett lived.
boys protested their innocence, although
they had been identified by Miss Barnett's
companion Yesterday at the jail Royce
was most slowly strangled. His struggles
lasted for fifteen minutes. The mob then
quietly dispersed. The coroner was noti-
fed and the bodies were cut down and
taken to an undertaking establishment.
Miss Barnett, one of the victims, hoverS
between life and death.
The Crime.
Ine criminal assault was MADE on ThurS-
day evening on Miss Barnett by Halls and
Royce, young men IF unsavory reputation.
Miss Barnett, in company with Lillian
Draper, was walking on the Vermillion
river bridge, when accosted. The girls
started to run. One man knocked Miss
Bartlett down. Miss Draper made her es-
cape up Main street, and her shrieks col
lected a crowd, who started in pursuit of
Halls and Royce, who dragged Miss Bar
nett with them. They passed John Downs,
an old man. who attempted to interfere.
He was knocked down by Halls. Miss
Barnett was found unconscious several
hours later. Halls and Royce were arrest
ed. waived preliminary examination and
were bound over to the grand jury.