The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1910-02-19
PRESENCE OF TRoov AT SCENE
OF RIOTS RESTORES PEACE
TEMPORARILY.
SHERIFF IS THREATENED
People Are incensed Because OF the
Killing Of Halliday and Wounding OF
Others. and Official is Severely Crit
ici.ed for His Action-Third Militia
Company 10 Asked for by Officer.

Cairo. ill.,. Feb lS.--With thrac COM
panics III militia guarding the court
house and jail, under direct super
VII lon III Adjutant General Frank :.
Dickinson OF Springfield. this city set
tied down tonight To complete quiet
after d strenuous - hours Anthori-
ties believe they nave the situation
wen In hand. There are many scat
tered groups of men IN the streets and
near the Jail. but no crowd Is allow
"a % conGrcgatc.
Threats nave been made against
Sheriff lrrci y. Nelis Tor the killing
of Alexander Halliday early this
morning by his deputies and for the
wounding of four others In beating
back the mob that would lynch n neg
70 purse snntchcr, but the presence Of
soldiers is having good effect. 4
third militia company was asked for
by tho sheriff this afternoon and
Company NJ Of Champaign was or
dered out. arriving al $3.50 o'clock.
John Pratt. the negro the mob In
tended. To lynch and who was today
given an indeterminate sentence of not
more than IL years In the Chester PEN
itcntiary on two charges of robbery.
VIII be taken TO the prison tomor-
row with IL other convicted prison.
ers. Lincoln Wilson. arrested as n
suspected companion OF Pratt in the
snatching OF womcn's pockctbooks,
was released tonight. The grand Jury
failed to return an indictment against
him. Pratt's indictment and sentence
took less than half an hour. AT Q
o'clock the indictment was returned
and 10 minutes later he pleaded guilty
and was sentenced
inquiry Ordered.
A searching investigation of the at
tack on the Jail this morning when
Halliday was killed was ordered this
afternoon by Judge Butler in charge
II the grand jury Immediately after
the disposal of tho cases OF the two
negroes. Judge Buffers instructions
were, in substance, demand that the
rioters be brought to justice and made
To stand trial for r!oting.
This sort of procedure must be
nforced ceases to be law. There have
been Ave murders in cairo since No
yember IL when We had another oc-
cnrrence of mob violence. These crimes
show that mob law l. no deterrent
to crime, and 1t Is your duty to sec
that mob law ceases To be-.
Coroner James McManns has called
no inquest into the killing OF Halli-
day He said tonight that he intends
to go slowly In his investigation,
Sheriff Nellis was in close touch with
Governor Deneen by long distance tel
ephone all day. and said tonight that
his course mad been commended by
| the governor a stray shot fired by
n member Of the mob was tie direct
!, cause of the ,olley from the depu.
ties guarding the jail, according 70
! sheriff Neilis.
Shot Fired.
Il was standing on the front porch
OF the courthouse parleying with the
mob. which was demanding that | give
up Pratt he said, when some one
| fred from, the crowd. My deputies,
watching the parlcy from second :
| story window, thought that fired a
shot as n signal. They then fired a
yolley into the air
The mob refused to retreat and m.
! deputies then fred into the crowd
! You know the result. My conscience is
easy over the entire affair. They were
! determined to get me unless | got
them. did my duty by protecting
I
!. a dozen broken windows In the
courthouse today showed the result
Of the shots fired into the building
/. by the mob, but no serious damage
was done. Sheriff Nells received a
| slight flesh wound in the hand All OF
| the party with him in the jail es-
! capped injury. There were six negroes
/ In tho party of il armed deputies that
/ defended the jail. The defensive party
numbered 20. but there were not guns
| nough to go around. Sells had grea,
| difficulty in enlistlng deputies, and
negroes were impressed into service
he says, because he could not get
| enough white men.
Despite this explanation, the sheriff
| Is being criticised for deputlzing me-
grocs to fire on whites. and the NAL
/ contents are using the incident az
! an argument for further demonstra
/ tons. The conflict betweenu city and
county authorities that marked the
| November lynchngs Is again in evi-
! dencc. Mayor Parsons says he was
not notified of any trouble until
O'Clock, and that he then ordered tho
police TO go TO the assistance of the
| sheriff
Captain Greaney Of Company X, th'