The Cordele dispatch. (Cordele, Ga.) 19??-1971, 1918-05-14

down the street.
All reports indicate that at this
time there was no intention of hang
ing Prayer. 1t was planned to tar and
feather him or administer some other
severe punishment. Once outside
the city limits it was found that tar
and feathers were not to be obtained
and a passing automobile in which
was rope, suggested hanging. The
rope was knotted around the mans
neck and he was escorted about a
mile down the road leading to st.
Louis
The mob stopped at a large tree by
the roadside and after a few unavail-
ing attempts by older persons to
throw the moose over limb, small
boy is said to have been boosted up
the tree where he quickly adjusted the
rope.
Prayer then was drawn into the air
but at the suggestion of some one in
the mob he was lowered in order to
bind his hands and feet With this
respite he was given an opportunity
to make dying statement if he so
desired. He fell to his knees and for
three minutes prayed in German. He
then wrote short note to his aged
parents who live in Dresden, GERMANY
This done the knot was frightened
about his neck and dozens of hands
the rope that swung him ten
feet into the air to his death. He was
left dangling for two hours.
The mob left the scene quietly; in
fact so quiet were all the incidents
leading up to the hanging that many
residents of the city were unaware
OF the lynching until later in the morn
ing.
AS socn as news of the tragedy be-
known to officials an investiga
ton was started. Coroner Roy Lowe,
acting on the advice of Attorney Gen
eral Rrundage of Illinoise, Immediate
~ ordered an inquest, at which thirty
witnesses were examined, one of them
being Joseph Reigel AS the result
Of this inquest indictments were re-
turned against six men. All were ar
rested and have been in the county
Jail at Edwardsville without bail.
When the Madison county grand
Jury met at Edwardsville on April &c,
transcript of all the testimony Civ
an before the coronor's jury was in
and as result sixteen indict-
nents We're returned. twelve being
against civilians and charging murder;
,our being against policemen and
charging malefeasance in office.
The case of Prayer has attracted
attention The mob act
was deplored on the floor of the Unit
ed States senate. Federal officials at
instructed their agents in
Lllinoise to lend all possible assistance
N bringing the guilty parties to JUS
ice. Within few days after the bu-
rial of Prayer the Swiss minister at
instructed Secretary of
State Lansing that the German gov
had expressed a desire to
bear the expense of the mans funeral
Later the secretary advised against
such action and the state of Illinoise
paid all the bills.
Meager reports that German Off
Gals were incensed at Prayers death
were heard at intervals and this feel
ing apparently was reflected in a dis
patch from Amsterdam on May the 9Th
quoaing the Zeitung Am Mittag of Der
lin. The editor of this paper declared
that the German government might
decide upon reprisals on the American
prisoners 80 as to prevent the lyn
ching of Germans in America from be-
coming a fashionable sport"
Prayer was buried at St Louis by
the Oddfellow's lodge of which orga-
niZatiOn he was member In answer
tc a request said to have been made
by the dying man, an American flag
wac dranad oNtar bic coffin