Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-11-16
NEGRO IS LYNCHEO
AND BODY BURNED
Troops on Guard Following the
Nights Unspeakable Mob Fury.
Miss Pelly's Murderer Swung
in the Public Square.

CAIRO, ILL.,. Nov. 12.-Following
/ the double lynchings here last night,
I the state of Illinois took command
/ of the situation today and the city
! is practically under martial law.
Arthur Alexander, implicated by
''Froggy'' James in the murder last
Monday of Miss Annie Pelley, is
the county jail here. All the saloons
in the town have been closed.
The mob spirit appears broken. The
talk on the streets today was not that
Of immediate revenge on the sus-
pected law-breakeTs as it had been
since Tuesday. The word was wait
till the soldiers CO."
No effort has been made yet to learn
the identity Of the leaders of the mob.
Cairo is very quiet this morning after
one of the worst nights Of mobism ever
passed through by any city, when VIII
James the negro who outraged and muir
dered Miss Annie Policy, was lynched by
mob from the public arch, his body
riddled and then burned, following his
confession and implication OF Arthur
Alexander, another negro.
During a lun in the proceedings, the
mob took out and lynched Henry Salz-
ner, a white man. who was charged with
the murder of bis wife.
Cairo awoke today, or at least that
portion Of IL which slept, more or
less dazed from the events of the
night, but the sober after-thought OF
the position in which the community
had been placed before the country
at large has not yet begun to mani
fest itself.
EXPECT TROUBLE TONIGHT.
For this reason the authorities are
prepared for a renewal Of trouble
tonight Last nights mob numbered
many prominent citizens and rev at
tempted to conceal their identity.
Alexander was lodged in the jail
only after the police had duped the
mob by dressing him in a policeman's
uniform and rushing him about the
city.
Catherine Copper. a negress. whom
James and Alexander visited the
night of the murder, her 12-year-olo
son, and Lovey Green, another ne
gress. who are said to have washed
the bloodstains from James clothlng'
were under arrest yesterday, but be-
cause of the lack OF evidence against
them they were released when WORD
came that James had been captured
by the mob. Friends Immediately
aided them to leave town.
NO RACE DISTINCTION.
The fact that the mob wreaked sum-
mary vengeance on white man as Wen
as upon the negro James, Is taken py the
negroes here as proof that law-aololns
members Of their race have no race wal
TO fear.
salzner's body was claimed by his faith
or. Some difficulty was experiences n
rescuing Henry Salzner's body from the
mob last night, some OF the lynchers as
sorting that # should be burned as was
that of James. Alderman Burke. who Is
also an undertaken finally prevailed upoz
the crowd TO allow him 20 take charge
of the body.
OF Jaxno6 body practically nothing re-
mained. The head remained on the pole,
where IL was impaled last night, until
long after daylight Not an undertaken
| in the city would take charge of II, and
finally the city's dead wagon was sent
TO the place. It is supposed that the head
was buried on the city dump.
Before the head was disposed of
thousands of morbidly curious people
swarmed about the neighborhood. A
eoodly portion of This crowd was
composed of women and children,
both white and colored. Youngsters
who were too small to see easily were
raised above the heads OF the crowd
often by their parents. The crowd
was so dense that the dead wagon
had difficulty in forcing its way
through. -
TROOPS MAKE APPEARANCE.
Troops appeared on the streets of
the city within a few hours after
the local authorities had appealed to
Governor Deneen. The Cairo militia
Company X, of the Fourth regiment,
hastily modified, was on duty shortly
after the second lynching had taken
place.
| The Carbondale organization, Com
many c. of the same regiment, ar
rived at daybreak. At noon special
train brought G company from Ell
hngham and portions of other COM
mands. Before dark tonight 1t was
expected that fully 400 militia would
be cordoned about the jail.
Though the protection OF the men
| who were lynched here was not In any
way under my control. no one can regret
the affair more than I do" said Mayor
| Parsons today.
oI do not think that any blame at
| tarhes to any official. The entire com
munity was worked UP to such pitch
| that no other termination was possible
| I believe that the majority OF the citi-
zens are pleased at the turn OF anairs
and while they deplore the disgrace Of
the city and state, they believe that the
result will be salutary.
I MURDER "TOLERABLY SAFE.
/ There has not been an official execu-
: ton In Cairo for ten or fifteen years and
vet the city has had its share of murders.
J,rrfes have failed to convict In homicide
cases, or have convicted only for minor
3 degrees. and it has been possible for
murderers to escape. In fact, murder In
Cairo has, regret to say, been tolerably
safe.
THE feeling against crime that has so
long been suppressed has found vent
and believe Cairo will be peaceful and
law-abiding hereafter"
LYNCHERS ARE C0WED.
The arrival Of FIVE companies Of the
state militia this morning apparently cow.
ed the spirit Of the lynchers. No attempt
was made early In the day to storm the
county jail, where Arthur Alexander,
negro implicated by James In his con-
fession in the killing of Miss Annie Policy.
is confined
Many citizens, while condemning the &C
ton of the mobs, are satisfied with the
nights work. Mayor Parsons this morn
ing said he did not anticipate any further
trouble, even though Alexander is kept
here.
When James, the negro lynched, was
captured at Belknap. and while he was
being brought to Cairo, he absolutely re-
fused to make q confession, but when
the rope was around his neck and he
| Was given his last chance to make a