The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1918-05-15

About IL O'Clock the men again gath
cred in force to the number of 800 and
marched to the city hall and demanded
that Prayer be released to them. Mayor
Seigei and two policemen barred their
entrance to the hall, the mayor appeal
ing to them to be calm. They refused
to leave Siegel parted for time ana
when he was assured that Prayer had
been spirited away he allowed COM
mttee from the crowd to search the
Jail.
According to testimony given at a
coroners inquest by Joseph Riegel. he
and another man entered the Jail and
finding no one there, went into the
basement. Within a few moments Pra-
ger was found hiding under a pile OF
thing. He was dragged out and deliv-
cred to the mob which led him down
the street.
All reports indicate that at this time
there was no intention to hang Prayer.
1t was planned to tar and feather him
or administer some other severe punish
ment. Once outside the city limits II
was found that tar and feathers Were
not to be obtained and a passing auto
mobile in which was a 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 few unavailing
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 was then drawn into the ali
but at the suggestion of some one in
| the mob he was lowered in order to
bind his hands and feet With this re-
/ spite he was given opportunity to ma ke
a dying statement if he so desired He
! fell to his knees and for three minutes
/ prayed in German. He then wrote a
/ short note to his aged parents who live
4! in Dresden. Germany. This done the
knot was frightened around his neck
and dozens of hands grasped 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 this city wehe unaware
of the lynehing until later in the
morning.
| AS soon as news of the tragedy be-
came known to officials an investiga-
| ton was started. Coroner Roye Lowe,
acting on the advice of Attorney Gen.
eral Brunrage of Illinois, Immediately
ordered an inquest at which thirty wit
nesses were examined, one OF them
being Joseph Rfegel. AS the result OF
this inquest indictments were returned
against six men. All were arrested and
have been in the county Jail at Ed
wardsville without bail.
When the Madison county grand jury
met at Edwardsville on April &c, a
transcript of all testimony given be-
fore the coroner's jury was introduced
and as result sixteen indictments were
returned. twelve being against civilians
and charging murder, four being
against policemen and charging mall
feasance In office.
The case of Prayer has attracted in
ternational attention. The mob acts
We're deplored on the floor of the
United States senate. Federal officials
at Washington instructed their agents
in Illinois to lend all possible assistance
in bringing the guilty parties to jus
tice. Within a few days after the bur-
ial of Prayer the Swiss minister at
Washington instructed Secretary of
State Lansing that the German govern
ment had expressed a desire to bear
the expense Of the mans funeral. Later
the secretary advised against such ac-
ton and the state of Illinois paid all
bills.
Meager reports that German officials
We're incensed at Prayers death were
heard at intervals and this feeling ap-
parently was reflected in a despatch
from Amsterdam on May 6 quoting the
Zeitung Amittag OF Berlin. The editor
Of this paper declared that the German
government might decide upon repris-
ais of American prisoners $50 as to
prevent the lynching of Germans in
America from becoming a fashionable
SPORT
Prayer was buried in st. Louis by
the Odd Fellows lodge of which organ
ization he was a member. In answer
to request to have been made by the
dying man, an American flag was
draped over his coffin.