The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1918-04-11

Oen1nO clOSeu uOOIS.
Riegel, according to these p
of the mob and is said to have i
the jury.
Prayer was hoisted into the q
Riegel is said to have testified.
denied that he was a spy or that
purpose of blowing up the Marys
a tribute to Prayers bravery, de-
a tear except when he kissed the
mercy.
.s Riegel made a confession G
paper man and persons present at
he had reiterated before the jury ev'
cry detail mentioned in his statement
to the reporter.
According to Riegels statement to
the newspaper man, he was in Col
insville saloon about 1918 o'clock on
Thursday night when policeman
came in and ordered the place closed.
explaining that crowd had collected
around the Jail and disturbance was
feared. Leaving the saloon he found
the crowd.
"The mayor came out and made a
speech and tried to get US to 60
away, he said. "He declared the man
was gone. l said did not believe
him and II he would not allow a
United States army man to go in and
see he would not let anybody and
showed him my army discharge pa
pers.
1--WE Surrounded the Place."
He told me to come on IN, which
did ana the crowd followed. If we had
found the man in the cell we would
not have bothered him but it made us
angry to feel that the police had
sneaked him away. We went outside
surrounded the place and decided to
look again.
The other man and I went into the
cellar and he found Prayer hiding in
pile of tiles. We said:
leone out of there and let us look
at YOU He came out and we grabbed
him by each arm and led him out. An
other man took my companions place
holding one of his arms and the man
who found Prayer picked up the nag
and marched ahead. Another man and
l led him oil the way to the tree
Forced to Kiss Flag.
Riegel says that enroute to the
scene OF Exchanging s evera persons
( were met in automobiles and Prayer
was forced to sing and kiss the flag
for them. At the tree the man ques-
toned twenty minutes by members OF
the mob, Riegel says as to his alleg'
ed proc ermanism.
I'VE asked him if he was Ger
man spy and if he had tried to blow
up the Maryville mine and why he did
not keep his date at Edwardsville with
Nose Johnson. He denied ne was
spy and that he boarded powder but
made no answer about keeping his
date. If he had kept that date we
never would have bothered him This
date was with a district mine work
ers' union leader relative to Prayers
admission to the union.
"somebody Tied the Rope
Riegeps story then proceeds, those
at the inquest say:
'tSomebody tied the rope around
Prayers neck and several boys from
twelve to sixteen years old pulled him
uD. Ills ud1uS NClC AAot tASSA eAAAN AN
grabbed at the rope. They let him
down and we said now are you going
to tell whether anybody is mixed up
with your told him we were going to
kill him if he did not tell everything.
..He said his parents were living and
that he wanted to write to them. lie
also said he had three partners but
refused to tell their names. All the
time the crowd kept getting more eX-
cited and angry. Some one shouted:
"strino Him Up!'
&C We'll if he won t come in with
anything string him up
"A boy produced handkerchief and
his hands were tied.
Il might have been the man who did
the tying. l was drunk and because |
had been in the army the crowd made
me the big man in the affair and l
guess I was sort of pulled up over
that. r.'
"Wrap Me in the Flag"
Gust as we were about to string
him up Prayer said:
1" All right boys. Go ahead and kill
me but wrap me in the flag when you
bury me-.
Then they pulled the rope. l mere
~ looked on. know number OF per-
sons whose hands were on the rope.
Riege is said to have concluded his
confession with tribute to the BRAY
cry of the hanged man.
HE was the bravest man l ever
saw in my life", Riegel is alleged to
have said. "He never shed tear ex-
cept when he kissed the flag and he
not once begged for mercy or asked us
to turn him loose"
Riegel is married and has one child.
Riegel is said to have been ques'
toned by Coroner Lower, in charge
Of the inquest and by w. X. Traut-
mann, first assistat attorney general
OF Illinois for more than an hour 1t Is
not known whether he divulged names
Of persons known who participated In
the hanging.
The other man indicaed by Riegel
Is one OF the mob leaders testified at
the inquest today, but the nature OF
his evidence has not been disclosed.
Details Of the hanging were also
supplied today by Albert Kneederl, -
years old, who was : witness. He said
he knew the faces Of some OF the men
iiesd0nr44 llVsrso4ssoA1. 6elad dor
nm SRHem hut did not know their
SaiIk31. The inquest vas continued TO-
IIenf ii On attempt to conclude It ~
ffs 5 81 III III Mt ~ ~