Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1903-06-08

Belleville. H.. June 8. County
School Superintendent Charles Hertel,
of ST. Clair county, was shot and
mortally wounded in his office here
by W. T. Wyatt. a colored school
teacher of East st. Louis. whose GER
tificate to teach he had refused to
renew. Wyatt was Immediately ar
rested and taken to jail. Two hours
later Il mob stOrmed the Jail. secured
Wyatt, and despite the appeals of the
mayor and other officials Wyatt was
hanged with short ceremony. Superin-
tendent Hertel was removed to the
hospital, where the physicians probed
for the bullet but they state that there
is no chance for his recovery. Hertel
was aroused sufficiently to tell that
Wyatt had shot him because of his re-
fusal to renew the certificate.
Mob Forces the Jail.
4 young man named Fielder was
in the office when the shooting oc-
Cured. He grappled with Wyatt, but
the negro beat him off with the butt
of his revolver. infiicting a severe
scalp wound. A passing policeman
in arresting the negro. He was taken
to the county jail and the place was
surrounded with policemen, as it was
feared that a mob might form. A
couple of hours passed when suddenly
a mob appeared before the Jail and
forced a passage to Wyatt's cell. Sc
curing the prisoner they dragged him
out and hanged him. Before being
executed Wyatt asserted the shooting
was the result of political grudge-
that is. that Hertel refused to renew
Wyatt's certificate because Wyatt had
offended Hertel politically.
Eager to Torture the Victim.
The mob hanged Wyatt to a tele-
rome pole in the public square. Even
while his body was jerking in the
throes of death from strangulatiOn
members of the mob began building a
fire at the foot of the pole. The flames
fiared up and licked at the feet of the
victim. but this did not satisfy the
mob. and another and larger fire was
started nearby. When it had begun
burning briskly the negro. still half
alive. was cut down. and after being
covered with coal oil he was cast
into the fire.
Means Came from the Pyre.
Means of pain were heard from the
half dead victim of the mob and these
served to further infuriate his tortur-
erS. They fell upon him with clubs
and knives and cut and beat the burn
ing body almost to pieces, and not until
every sign of life had departed did
they desist and permit the flames TO
devour the body. AS the fire lighted
up the scene the members of the mob
stood around the funeral pyre hurting
more faggots of wood in the flames
and denouncing the negro for the
shooting After the body had been
reduced to ashes the mob departed
and all became quiet.
Mob Law We Have Always Y'Ith Us.
Madison, Ind. June S-Dan Kinds,
colored, aged Is years, was caught
and rope thrown around his neck
by young men employed at Melish's
button factory for an attempted as
Sault on Il white girl named Hum
phreys. The sheriff secured the pris-
oner and held him for grand jury in
vestigatiOn.
LynchIng Averted "for the Timo Being.
Lacrosse, Wis, June S.-The mobs
which all night surrounded the jail
at Sparta, Wis, failed to make the
expected attack and it is believed that
George Montgomery, the alleged wife
murdererof Tomah, is safe from lynch
ing for the time being. Governor La
Toilette called out the militia and gave
it orders to shoot at the first onset of a
mob.