Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1918-04-09
lYNCHED BY A MOB
Illinois Coal Miner Killed for Alleged
Disloyaity.

Disloyaity.
Robert P. Prayer, a German. was
hanged at Collinsville. Illinois. last
Wednesday night by a riot Of foreign
miners. who accused him Of disloyalty.
II Is by no means certain that the Ger
man was any more disloyal than the
foreigners who lynched him. or indeed
that disloyalty was the real cause Of
the lynching. The county officials on
Friday fixed yesterday as the time for
an investigation. A Collinsville dis
patch OF April carries the facts that
had developed up to that time as fol-
lows:
Chief Of Police Staten Of Collins
vile. declared that.-the identity Of a
number II members Of the mob was
known. but that city officials would
not make arrests because the crime
was committed outside the city.
So Ear as could be learned the
action Of the mob was precipitious and
no person has as yet stated any con-
crete cases of disloyalty by Prayer.
1t is known that he registered as an
enemy alien at the office Of the United
States marshal in st. Louis, June q
last. giving his occupation as a baker.
He received q permit to enter all
barred zones 10 seek employment. It
was also discovered that he registered
for the army draft on June last and
that IN April. 1915. he caused the ar
rest Of man on q disloyalty charge.
The mob idea had its inception, II was
said. in a saloon on the outskirts Of
the city. where miners from Mary
vile and Collinsville gathered. Many
Of the men were foreigners who un-
derstood little English. and II Is be-
lieved the remarks Of Prayer were
magnified with tragic result.
No Powder Found.
Rumors that hundreds Of pounds Of
powder had been boarded in mines by
Prayer were denied by the authori-
ties.
Prayer was unmarried. He was born
in Dresden, Germany. and came to
the United States in 1905.
Prayer was coal miner and recent
ly at Maryville, ILL.,. in an address
10 the miners on Socialism, is said to
have made remarks derogatory to
President Wilson. Miners there be-
came angry and when they threatened
to do him bodily harm he escaped to
Collinsville, his home. Some Of the
miners, however, followed him, COL
lected a crowd, took Prayer from his
home and led him barefoot through
the street waving an American flag.
The police. fearing violence. took
Prayer from the crowd and placed him
in the city hall. Later a large mob
gathered in front of the hall and de-
manded the man. Mayor ]. H. Siegal
counselled calmness, but the police
force of four was overpowered and
Prayer was found in the basement Of
the hall hiding beneath pile Of tiling.
He was dragged down the street and
beyond the city limits, the crowd
threatening to shoot II the officers ap-
preached.
One mile west Of the city the rope
by which Prayer had been led was
thrown over limb Of a tree. He was
asked il he had anything to 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 ten
feet and allowed to hang. The mob
then dispersed.
Registered Enemy Alien.
The police said that Prayer while
in their custody had stated he was q
registered enemy alien. that he was
born in Germany but that he had
taken out his first naturalization pa
pers and had hoped to become an
American citizen.
Collinsville Is IL miles east Of St.
Louis and is In that section Of south
western Illinois that Of late has been
active against disloyalists.
Walter Clark, mine superintendent
at Maryvtlle. said he was convinced
there was no truth in charges that
Prayer had boarded powder while en-
ployed at the mine. Miners have ex-
pressed fear that German spies would
get into a mine and attempt to blow
1t up.
Before the rope was placed about
his neck, Prayer wrote the following
note in German:
Dear Parents: Carl Henry Prayer,
Dresden. Germany: 1 must on this the
ith day of April, 1918, die. Please
pray for me. my dear parents. This
is my last letter and testament.
Your dear son and brother,
Robert Paul Pr. ger"
In Prayers pocket was found long
proclamation" in which he stated his
loyalty TO the United States and to
union labor and told Of his difficulty
in entering the miners union.
Prayer recently put up posters at
the Maryville mine proclaiming his
loyalty to the government. When the
miners left the workings they were in
censed by the proclamations and be-
gan to hunt Prayer.
TO GE MAN. N.AMERicANS