The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1909-11-20
mob [YNCHEs Two
WILL JAMES (NEoRo), HENRY
sALzNER (wHITE) ARE THE
VICTIMS.
BLACK MANS BODY BURNED
Mob Breaks Into jail After Midnight.
Strings Up Wife-Murderer-Troops
Are Ordered to Cairo by the
Governor.

Cairo, Ill.-Two men, one a negro,
the other a white man, were lynched
here Thursday night Will James, the
confessed slayer of Miss Anna Pelley.
and who implicated Arthur Alexander.
was strung up to the steel arch at
Eighth and Commercial streets and
then shot to death because the rope
which suspended him broke. Henry
Salzner, charged with wife murder,
was hanged.
Taking the dead negro to the scene
of the crime, mile distant from the
arch, at Twenty-sixth and Elm streets,
the crowd then made huge bonfire
and throwing the bullet-riddled body
on top, the torch was applied. In his
confession James is said to have made
the statement that Alexander had the
band ring and necklace belonging to
Miss Pelley.
An immense crowd Of people were
at the Union station to see the train
arrive. The negro was taken from
the train at Tenth street and the
crowd quickly took him over to the
corner of Eighth and Commercial
streets to string him UP on the steel
arch that spans the most important
corner in the city. AS the crowd APP
preached the arch hundred pistols
volleyed In the air. While arrange
ments were being made to hang him
some one climbed up on the arch and
turned on the electric lights.
he Cd
up above the heads of the crowd
In order that they might see him. A
rope was secured and man climbed
upon the arch and lowered 1t so that
the moose could be put around the
negro's neck. While this was going
on there was steady roar that could
be heard block away and above the
sound were the cries, Burn him, burn
him, burn him." The first rope
broke. Then they dragged the negro
up Eighth street toward the levee
and shot him to death in the middle
OF the block, then dragged the body
up to Ohio street and up to Tenth and
getting ladder for kindling wood
they took the negro over to Wash
ington avenue, and up the street.
Before he was strung up he was
given a chance to confess and he ad-
mitted the crime, duplicating Arthur
Alexander one of the suspects arrest
ed Tuesday.
After the mob had burned James to
a crisp they forced an entrance into
the county jail to get criminal out
named Henry Salzner, charged with
wife murder.
The mob searched for Jailer Ed
ward Abernathie to get the keys of
the cells from him, but he had gone
to hiding place hoping the mob
would not force an entrance without
the keys.
But the mob hammered and
knocked on Salzner's cell until he
was extricated and then amid the
cheers of 1000 he was taken to the
corner and given a hearing Salzner
accused his two sisters of being the
ones who killed his wife, but his
statements were weak. He begged Of
the mob not to take his life, but to no
avail He was given few minutes
in which to pray and was then al
lowed time to make confession,
which he did not do. He was then
hung to telegraph pole block from
the courthouse. The mob fired sew
eral shots into his body.
The mob has not as yet dispersed.
but are looking for Arthur Alexander.
Sheriff Davis appeal to Gov. De-
neen for aid resulted in the governor
ordering out Company X. of Cairo, and
ten other companies under command
of Gen. Wells of Decatur are on their
way here.