Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-06-24
Negro Charged With Numbering
Detective Murphy Barely
Escapes Lynching
FiREMEN AIDED THE POLICE
The Mob Quickly Assembled at the
Jail Demanding That McRay Be Re-
leased to Them, But the Wise Meas
ures and Strong Defense of the Pc.
lice Averted Trouble.

Peoria. Ill., June 24.-The fever fol
lynching attacked an element of people
in this city during last evening, but at q
late hour it seemed to have been sub
dued by the energy of the police force
which called to its assistance the fire
department and cut off the lights il
the vicinity of the Jail.
However, there were threats in the
crowd, and runors We're heard that the
mob would renew the siege at a. m. A
fresh crowd was said to be gathering at
a distance from the Jail.
John McRay, a negro. was arrested
at 8 p. m. charged with the murder OF
Detective Murphy a few minutes before
The policeman had been notified of an
attempted burglary committed in the
home of William Maharg, at Water and
Eaton streets, ad in the effort to cap
ture the criminal had been shot thru the
head
Murphy died an hour later. Shortly
after the shooting, policemen who had
heard the shots that ended the detect
ives; life, arrested Moray, who was
running away from the scene. He was
taken to the city hall Jail.
The news of the shooting was cir
culated quickly, and hundreds of per-
sons had gathered about the scene OF
the shooting. Several men declared
they had been witnesses to the affair
and declared the negro was undoubted-
" the guilty man.
Soon leaders were found who har-
ranlyued the crowd and urged that the
man be taken from the Gus .ody of the
police and summarily dealt with. Eff
forts of the police to dispense the mob
by assurances that speedy trial would
be given the prisoner were useless and
shortly after 9 o'clock a mob Of 200
men and boys started for the city hall
a few blocks away.
Ropes were secured and carried by
the leaders, but no weapons Were visi-
BILE. The mob surrounded the city hall
building and yelled for the police TO
bring the prisoner out. The crowd was
augmented by hundreds of curious
spectators. and as it became more
threatening Capt. Breymeyer. who was
in charge of the police, became mora
apprehensive.
Only twenty policemen were on hand
at the time and the captain telephoncd
the chief of the fire department for aid.
Soon twenty-five firemen forced their
way thru the mob and took their stand
with the besieged policemen.
The prisoner was taken To a cell in
the basement of the building and guard
ed by two policemen, who We're in
to shoot any one who attempt
ed to modest him.
The mob continued to grow more
den,onstrative, and soon weapons We're
and leaders urged their fol-
lowers to batter down the door be-
hin,i which the police were waiting.
the crowd and thru an open window
urged them to dispense. His words
could not be heard above the shouts
and curses of the mob.
He then ordered the city electrician
to turn out the lights In the district
in which the city hall is situated, and
in total darkness the guards awaited
the expected attack. The gloom seem
ed to allay the excitement of the men
and the police captain was enabled to
make himself heard.
He again warned the mob that he
was determined TO protect the prisoner
until he had been given hearing, and
that any attempt to interfere with him
in the interim would cost many lives
For an hour the mob remained about
the place. but q more conservative
spirit was evinced and it gradually
melted away into knots, who discussed
the adyisability of attacking the Jail.