River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1903-07-30
MOB CREATES
NIGHT OF TERROR
Negro Murders a White Man at
Danville, Ill.
PRISON DOORS BEATEN DOWN
Murderer Pounded to Death and Body
Burned-SheriR Fires Into Mob
Many Wounded-state Troops
Reach the City.

DanVille, ILL.,, July N.-From 0
o'clock Saturday night until after mid
night Sunday morning this city was
at the mercy of a wild and bloodthirsty
mob One negro was dragged from
the officers, hanged, battered to a pulp,
his body riddled with bullets, and the
remnants burned. The sheriff, in de-
Tending another negro, fired into a
densely packed mob, wounding several
men, two of them fatally.
The total number of wounded is o.
The police station is wrecked and the
county Jail badly damaged. The city is
in the hands of state troops and feel
ing of uneasiness and dread prevails.
List of Casualties.
The casualties so far are as follows:
Henry Gatterman, white man; MUIR
dered by negro Mayfeld.
J. d. Mayfeld negro refugee from
Evansville, Ind; lynched by the mob.
H Hines, member of mob which at
tackled the Jail; shot in shoulder; may
die
Otto Heinke, member of mob; shot
in arm; will recover.
Adam Merry, member of mob; shot
through head will die.
Charles Lopp, patrolman; dubbed
on the head while defending Mayfeld.
William Leverenz, patrolman; badly
injured internally by mob's battering
ram while defending Mayfield
Fred Lorenz, shot three times in the
leg in attack on Jail.
M oh r. a4f aoIr
Jail
Laird, shot in attack on Jail.
Thomas Bell, shot in chest in attack
on jail.
Benjamin Rich, negro; terribly
beaten by the mob.
Four unknown negroes, beaten into
fnsensibility by the mob; found lying
in the public square.
Gatterman Shot to Death.
Gatterman and Mayfield became in
volved in a quarrel shortly after eight
o'clock. Blows followed words, and
before anyone could prevent it May
field had drawn revolver and fired a
shot. The bullet pierced Gatterman's
heart and he fell to the floor dead.
terrified by his crime. turned and fled
through alleys and side streets.
Lynch him, kill him, kill him!"
cried the mob.
The police arrived in time to pre-
vent Mayfelds capture by the infuri-
ated crowd, and the prisoner, shaking
with fear was hurried to the city
prison and locked in a vault in which
the police records are kept He had
hardly been placed behind the vault
doors when the mob forced it's
entrance to the jail
From back in the crowd railroad
irons were brought forward and the
combination of the vault door was
knocked off. With a crash the lock
gave way. When the door swung open
Mayfield was found covering in cor
ner of the vault, behind a big box
filled with papers.
Killed in the Jail.
Three men forced their way into the
vault, and in a few seconds had dis
covered the negro. He made an at
tempt to resist. 1t was but a futile
effort, however. Blows were rained
upon him until he was almost insen-
sible Moaning and begging for mer-
cy he was dragged out of the room,
when someone fired revolver and put
an end to his sufferings. The body
was then carried from the building. a
rope was thrown about his neck and,
with a mob behind him, the dead man
was swept through the streets a half
- NJc
an hour before, he had killed Cater
man. The rope was thrown over
telegraph pole and the body was sent
flying to its top. AS it revolved in it's
upward course the men riddled it with
bullets.
Burn him! Burn him!" they cried.
Body Is Burned.
The lifeless body was cut down and,
followed by the crowd it was dragged
to the Wabash railroad tracks. when
someone gave the word. ITO the Jail. Z"
Swayed by this cry the body was
dragged to the Jail and placed in the
center of the converging streets. Fren-
zied men and boys kicked and jumped
on the body. after which. an armful
of hay was thrown over it and light
ed match completed the havoc AS the
flames burst forth and leaped into the
air the mob backed away a short dis
lance and watched the spectacle their
faces lighted by the fire.
Mob Seeks Another Victim.
But this bloody work did not satisfy
the crowd. Within the Jail was con-
fined a negro who had been brought
in from Marshfield. Ind, several days
before charged with an assault upon
Mrs Mary Burgess, white woman.
Lets have that other one, too,'
cried the leaders.
Inside the Jail dozen deputies and
policemen, heavily armed, had been
stationed ready for an attack.
Amid the jeers of the mob Sheriff
Whitlock stepped to the veranda of
his residence, which is on the west
side of the Jail, and called for silence
For a moment the noise was hushed
Appeals were made by the sheriff and
other citizens from the jail veranda
and steps, but the crowd only nooted in
derision.
Fires on the Mob.
Then several members of the mob
appeared with a railroad iron and a
charge was made upon the door lead
ing into the Jail portion, behind which
tn