Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-04-05
DISLOYAlIST
LYNCHED FOR
TALK BY MOB
Remarks Against Pres
ident Brings Hanging
-Prays in German.

Collinsville. Ill, April 6.-Kneel-
ing with his arms crossed, Robert
Prayer. who was lynched last night
at midnight. for alleged disloyaI re
marks. prayed in German for three
minutes before he was strung up,
according 10 statements made by
members Of the lynching party to
dav. Prayer was a coal miner and
Yesterday at Maryville, Ill. in an
address to miners on Socialism, he
is said TO have made remarks de-
rogatory 10 President Wilson.
Miners there became angry and
when they threatened to do him
bodily harm he escaped to Collins
vile. his home. Some of the min
ers. however. followed. collected q
crowd, took Prayer from his home
and led him barefoot through the
street waving an American flag.
Retaken by Mob.
The police, fearing violence, res
cued Prayer from the crowd and
placed him in the city hall. Lat ar
a larger mob gathered in front of
the hal. and demanded the man.
Mayor ]. H. Siegel counseled calm
ness, but the police force of four
was overpowered and Prayer was
found in the basement OF the hail
hiding beneath pile Of thing. He
was dragged down the street and
beyond the city limits, the crowd
threatening to shoot if the officers
approached.
One mile west of the city the
rope by which Prayer had been led
was thrown over the limb of 2
tree. He was asked if he had any
thing 10 say. His answer was to
drop to his knees and with arms
crossed to pray in German for
three minutes. without another
word he was pulled into the air 10
feet and allowed to hang. The mob
then dispersed.
Bitter Against DislOyaIists.
The police said that Prayer wh,la
in their custody had declared he
was a registered enemy alien, that
he was born in Germany, but that
he had taken out his first natural
ization papers and had hoped ~
become an American citizen. Col
linsviIle is II miles east of St.
Louis and is in that section 0f
southwestern Illinois that Of late
has been active against alleged dis
loyalists
Walter Clark. superintendent OF
the mine at Maryville. said today
he was convinced there was nc
truth in the charges that Prayer
had boarded powder while employ
ed at the mine. Miners have ex-
pressed fear that German spies
would get into the mine and at
tempt to blow it up.
Because Prayer was an enemy
alien, his application for member
ship in the miners union had been
jected, though he had been allow
ed 10 work while the application
was pending.
superintendent Clark said he
talked with Prayer Wednesday and
that he seemed to be all right.
Writes Farewell to Kin.
Before the rope was placed about
his neck, Prayer wrote the follow
ing note in German:
Dear Parents: Carl Henry Pra-
ger. Dresden, Germany; l must OF
this, the fourth day Of april, 1915
die. Please pray for me, my dear
parents. This is my last letter and
testament.
Your dear son and brother,
Robert Paul Prayer"
In Prager's pocket was found q
long proclamation" in which he
stated his loyalty to the United
States and TO union labor. and tod
Of his difficulty in entering tht
miners union
Prayer, yesterday afternoon, pui
up posters at the Maryville mine
proclaiming his loyalty to the gov
eminent. When the miners left
the workings they were incensec
by these procIamations and begaf
to hunt Prayer.
Fear More Lynchings.
Washington, april 5.-Until tbs
federal government is given power
TO punish persons making disloya
utterances, department OF justice
officials fear more lynchings sucf
as that Of Robert p. Prayer, a Ger
man, at ColIinsville, H., last night
This was the first report reaching
here Of such extreme mob Vlo
lence to a German, although of
hcials who have observed the gen
eral feeling against Germans have