The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-05-26
a LYNcHING At DANvILLE.
The Two Men Who Assaulted n Girl
Hanged by n Mob.

Hanged by n Mob.
Danville, ILL.,. May 25.-Early this morn
ing a mob which had been in possession
of Vermillion county's Jail several hours
succeeded in locating John Hall. Jr.. ana
William Royce in their cells. took them
outside and hanged them for assaulting
Miss Laura Barnett.
From midnight, when the crowd first
made its appearance at the Jail doors,
until the victims were reached, there was
determined, desperate struggle of a
frenzied 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 command of Sher-
in Thompson.
After repeated efforts to down the outer
Jail door with a telephone pole. the crowd
for a moment desisted in their efforts to
break into the Jail. Ed McCusker stood
on the Jail steps and addressed the mon,
begging them to desist. They laughed
him down. Sheriff Thompson. his wife
and Deputy Sheriff James Sloan also
besought the mob to dispense.
+. V. Barnett, the 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 that
the mob let the law take its course. He
assured the men that Hall and Royce
would receive severe punishment If found
guilty; that the trial jury would do its
duty.
But the leaders, who were among the
most prominent men in the county, re-
piled: Yes, we know the jury will con-
vict them and give them a severe SEN
tence, but Gov. Altgeld will pardon them
out He recently pardoned three brutes
you sent up from Champagne county for
twenty years, and will pardon these mon.
II any other man than Altgeld was gov
ernor We would not lynch these men.
But we are determined that he shall
never have chance to turn them loose"
With these words they again commenced
work.
Sheriff Thompson, finding himself pow
erless to control the mob, telegraphed the
governor, asking that militia be sent to his
aid.
At 3:15 o'clock the mob secured both pris-
oners and started them toward the bridge
with ropes about their necks. They were
hanged almost upon the scene of their
crime.
The criminal assault was made at 7:30
O'Clock Thursday evening on Miss Laura
Barnett by Hall and Royce. Miss Barnett
in company with Lillian Draper, was walk
ing on the Vermillion river bridge at the
foot of Main street
When 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 col
lected a crowd which started in pursuit of
Hall and Royce. The latter dragged Miss
Barnett with him. They passed John
Downs, an old man. who attempted to in
terfere. He was knocked down by Hall
The tive assailants took the girl through
the fields to the river bottom. where Miss
Barnett was found at 1890 o'clock in an
unconscious condition. Both young
women belong to respectable families
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 assaulted the girl
Here long delay ensued. Royce wanted
his father sent for and begged his captors
to wait for his coming. He was INDUCED
in this until day commenced to break, at
$40 o'clock. Then the lynchers became
impatient and refused any further delay
Royce's last words were: II am inno-
cent, but l am prepared to die. l have
made my peace with God" Hall said:
Those are my sentiments, but / am not
ashamed of what / have DONE" The ropes
were fastened to the railing and the boys
were asked to jump. They refused. Sew
eral men seized each of them and cast
them over the rail- The ropes were ff-
teen feet long, stout and well-tied. After
severe bodily commissions for about ten
minutes life appeared to be extinct. Their
faces were not covered. They were hang
ed ten feet apart on the same side of the
bridge. Their bodies were cut down at s
O'Clock and were taken to an undertaker's
office, where an inquest was held. Miss
Bsrnott's condition this morning was re-
Jc' as very serious.