The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-11-17
FIEND LYNCHED
By a Fierce Mob at Cairo, Illinois for the
Horrible Crime Of
ASSAULT AND MURDER

A Fiendish, British Negro. After
C~onfessing to the Grimes OF AS.
saulting and Numbering Miss
Policy, Whose Body Was Found
in an Alley, Lynched and Burned.
Will James, the negro suspected
Of being the murderer Of Miss An
RE Policy, was lynched at Cairo
Ilinois, Thursday night by a mob.
lie was strung up to the public arch,
the rope broke and at least o
shots were poured into his body.
lanes made a confession, implicat-
ing another negro. Arthur Alexan
der. The lynching took place in the
most prominent part of the CITY, Il
was witnessed by ten thousand peo-
pie.
Women present were the first to
null the rope. When 1t broke, the
frenzy Of the mob was uncomfortable,
and they fired volley after Voliey
into James body. shooting him to
pieces. The mob then dragged the
body over the streets for more than
a mile to Twenty-sixth and Elm
streets, in an alley, and burned II
where the murder was committed.
James was found with Sheriff Da-
Wis between karnak, Ill.,, and Belk-
nap, by the Cairo crowd, who went
I'D Thursday afternoon. The crowd
oyerpowered the officers and took
the negro from them, and after q
conference it wes decided to bring
their prisoner back to Cairo n
lynch him.
Sheriff Davis had been fleeing
from the mob for twenty-four hours
with the prisoner. Driven from town
to town by menacing crowds the
sheriff had taken to the woods with
James, but the persistent search OF
the summary avengers proved efec
tive at last.
Fully a thousand persons went OUT
to find the negro, and when the pur-
suers arrived in Cairo with thei!
quarry, they were met by a bowling
mob Of 5000 others bent on Staying
the negro.
They marched the negro direct tc
the public arch, sweeping the streets
like a flock of sheep might tread
q narrow lane. Many women we're
in the. crowd and anxious to help dc
the work.
Sheriff Davis having been foiled
in his attempt to hide the negro
pleaded for the life of the prisoner
but without avail. When Cairo was
reached. Sheriff Davis was taken IN
charge by a party of the mob, whlcf'
rushed the negro rapidly % Ms
funeral pyre. -.
The mob that chased the sheri1
and the negro was so large That II
secured the entire country from
Karnak to Vienna, ILL.,, a distance
of about sixteen miles.
When found by the moi the ne
gro was h%andcuffed between two OF
fcers, and all three were lying OIL
the bank of a creek. All three were
so weak from hunger, exposure ant
the futile attempt to elude the mot
that they were not able to make
much resistance.
While in custody of the mob com
ing to Cairo the negro would MOI
talk about the crime, but N
stood under the arch he weakened
and confessed that he slew Mist
Pellev. He said that Arthur Alex
ander was implicated in the crime
The attempt at hanging FOLLOWED
quickly. The growing Of the mob
the grinding Of the rope n IN.
struggles Of the negro were stopped
a moment only by the swapping o
the rope. The 10000 persons "h'
had locked on and danced IN slH
shot forth armed men almost magic
ally, and they filled the negro Will
bullets.
Then, not satisfied with vengeance
the mob dragged the body TO th'
place where Miss Pelley's body
bound, gagged and bruised. had beef
found. A roaring fire was built an
the body was incinerated.
James, who came from the Soutn
said Miss Pelley had been assault
ed and murdered after a terrih'
fight. 1t is reported that Alexander
the negro implicated by james II
the murder of Miss Pelley, has oeei
found by the mob, and that the:
are bringing him into town to lync'
him.
Governor Deneen appealed to at II
O'Clock by Sheriff Davis. who declar
ed the mob was storming the jail
and volunteers would not assist hin
ordered ten troops Of militia to pro.
coed at once to Cairo to restore