South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-04-06
NO ARRESTS MADE
IN PRAE GER CASE
Formal investigation Will Not
be Made Until Next Mon
day by Coroner.

COLLINSNILLE, H., April 9. -
Formal investigation of the death
OF Robert =. Prayer. who was hang
ed last night by a mob which &C
cused him Of disloyaity will not be
made until next Monday. when Roy
A. Lowe. coroner of Madison coun-
". VIII hold an inquest over the
body
No arrests have been made by
county officials. who spent the day
in investigation. and none is antici-
pated until after the inquest Mon
day, according 10 Coroner Lowe.
Chief of Police Staten Of Collins
vile declared today that the ident-
ity OF a number Of members Of the
mob was known TO the authorities
but that the local police would not
attempt TO make arrests because the
crime was committed outside the
city limits
Representatives Of the state at
torney general and the adjutant gen
eral will be present at the inquest,
prepared 10 carry forward any
measures deemed necessary 10 ap-
prehend those who participated in
the hanging.
Lowden Demands Probe.
Announcement TO this effect was
made tonight that Gov. Lowden.
Atty. Gen. Brundage and United
States Dist Atty Knotts at Spring
field, H.. had issued statements de-
handing that the guilty parties be
prosecuted.
Mayor ]. II. Siegel Of Colliusville
declared he would launch no inves-
tigation on his own accord, but that
he stood ready to cooperate with
state and county officials. In
statement issued tonight ne assert
ed he had telegraphed today 10 Sen.
Overman, chairman of the senate
judiciary committee, urging the i'm
mediate passage OF the law impos-
ing a severe penalty on disloyalty.
1t was his opinion, he said, that the
violence of last night was the result
of neglect by the federal govern
ment TO furnish this penalty.
I'VE arrested man charged with
disloyalty last Sunday" he declared.
"but because of insufficient evidence
under the present law We were un-
able to hold him. The crowd last
night evidently believed that an
other dislOyalist was about TO es-
cape and took the matter in their
own hands This deplorable act
merely emphasizes the necessity for
a drastic law to apply in such cases"
No Concrete Charges.
So far as could be learned tonight
the action of the mob was precip-
itious and no person as yet has con-
crete instances of disloyalty by Pra-
ger. II is known that he registered
as an alien enemy at the office of
the United States marshal in ST.
Louis on June - last. giving his oc-
cupatiOn as "A baker. He asked for
permit TO enter all barred zones
to seek employment. The permit
was granted. 1t was also discovered
/ that he registered for the army
draft on June last. and that in
/ April. 1917, he caused the arrest of
\ a man on a disloyalty charge. His
! friends assert he was radical in his
views on socialism but that when
/ the United States entered the war
/ he declared he was "all for Amer
! lea"
The mob idea has its inception.
/ il was said tonight. i'm a saloon on
the outskirts Of the city where min
ers from Maryville and Collinsville
gathered Many of the men were
| foreigners who understood little
English, and it is believed the re-
marks of Prayer were magnified
with a tragic result.
Rumors that quantities Of powder
had been boarded in a mine by
/ Prayer and that in his home were
found numerous discriminating maps
also were denied tonight by the au-
thorities
! Prayer was unmarried and so far
as is known has no relative in this
country. He was born in Dresden.
Germany. and came 10 the United
! States in 1905.