Collinsville, Illinois, Newspaper Clippings
Madison County ILGenWeb Coordinator - Beverly Bauser
IMPROVEMENTS IN EDWARDSVILLE, ALTON AND COLLINSVILLE
Source: Alton Telegraph, September 12, 1851
In taking a
stroll through Edwardsville the other day, we were much pleased
at the many evidences of improvement which meet the eye upon
every hand. During the season there have been a number of new
dwellings erected, and others are now in process of completion.
The construction of a plank sidewalk along the principal
thoroughfare will add greatly to the comfort and convenience of
pedestrians, and efforts should be made to secure its extension
the entire length of the street. We were informed that houses
are in great demand, thus giving good evidence that the
population is gradually, though slowly, upon the increase, and
the citizens anticipate a very considerable accession to
business and population upon the completion of the plankroad to
St. Louis.
We will venture one suggestion, while upon
this subject, which if carried out would add greatly to the
appearance and character of the town, and be calculated to leave
a better impression upon the minds of strangers visiting it.
Remove or burn down those unsightly old buildings which may be
seen near the principal street, and look like so many relics of
the last century; paint your meeting houses and schoolhouses
anew, and restore the broken glass, &c.; pay a little more
general attention to the planting of shade trees, and your town
will soon present a handsome and inviting appearance.
One
can hardly visit Alton now-a-days without noticing some new and
important improvements. Hills are being leveled, valleys filled
up, old buildings torn down and replaced with new ones, and
everything indicates the prevalence of the go-ahead spirit. The
merchants there are getting in extensive stocks of goods, and
say they are determined to offer country merchants as good an
assortment, at as low prices, as they can find anywhere. With
the increased trade, which will flow in her lap upon the
completion of the rail and plank roads, Alton will be upon the
highway to metropolitan greatness.
We had occasion to
visit Collinsville a few days since, and were gratified to see
the progress already made to connect this delightful village
with St. Louis by a plank road. The whole distance hence to
Collinsville is ten miles, and we traveled over about six miles
of the road completed. The whole cost of the road, when
completed, is estimated at about $28,000 to $30,000. We
understand that it lacks about $3,000 to fill up the stock, or
the cost of a little over a mile. The citizens of Madison County
have subscribed liberally to the stock, and it seems to us,
independent of the question of its being a good paying stock,
that it is manifestly to the interest of St. Louis to lend a
helping hand to complete this road.
COLLINSVILLE NEWS
Source: Alton Weekly Courier, August 16,
1855
From Collinsville, August 6, 1855 - - Last Friday
morning, the 3rd instant, our village was quite stirred up by
the news that during the preceding night, a fine horse belonging
to Dr. Henry S. Strong had been stolen, the thief taking off at
the same time, a saddle and bridle belonging to Dr. George H.
Dewey. While this news was passing around, a new excitement came
into the field - a young man was arrested for attempting to pass
counterfeit money. He made several attempts to dispose of the
bill, and finally, thinking perhaps that he had tried it a
little too often, he went to a livery stable, and tried to get
someone to take him to St. Louis, but he was too late. Mr.
Huffy, to whom he had offered the money, with the aid of others,
took him before Justice Nelson, who committed the rogue to jail,
and he was safely lodged at Edwardsville before night. He gave
his name as _______ Ferguson, and said he was from Fairfield,
Wayne County, in this state. The horse-thief and horse have not
been heard from. Dr. Strong has offered a reward of $50. The
same night, in a quarrel between Charles Pabst, a German tavern
keeper, and a boarder named Joseph Sheerer, Mr. Pabst received a
severe blow upon the side of the head with a heavy hickory club.
Had the blow been direct instead of glancing, it would have
probably broken his skull. Sheerer thought proper to leave
forthwith next morning. A beer carouse was at the bottom of the
quarrel.
COLLINSVILLE PLANK ROAD COMPANY vs. HUNTER
Source: Alton
Weekly Courier, June 4, 1857
An action of trespass; damages,
fine $25; toll $3.78; total, $28.78. Hunter, having refused to
pay toll, was stopped from passing the gate; he then and there
assaulted the gatekeeper, and attempted to pull down the gate;
whereupon the Company brings suit for damages. Tried before
Judge Snyder. Defense proved that it was impossible to travel
from Collinsville to Troy on the old county road, without
passing over part of the plank road, then wished to prove that
the plank road was out of repair. Testimony objected to by
plaintiff. Question argued - the purport as follows: Are
individuals or the public justified in refusing to pay toll and
in attempting to tear down the gates, because the Company does
not keep their road in repair? Sloss and Rutherford for
defendant; Underwood and Gillespie for plaintiff. Decided that,
persons must pay toll for passing over the road, and are liable
for any trespass against the Company, and the remedy against the
Company for neglect in keeping a good, passable road, must be by
quo warranfo. Defense abandoned the suit, and the Court gave
judgment for plaintiff for $28.78. Court was in session from
71/2 to 101/4 yesterday evening. Judge Snyder is working, and so
are the rest of the officers.
WANDSALY, HAYCELL & CO. DISTILLERY DESTROYED BY FIRE
Source: Alton Telegraph, April 11, 1862
About 1 o’clock
Monday morning, a fire broke out in the second story of the
large distillery of Wandsaly, Haycell & Co. (?) in Collinsville.
The fire, it is supposed, originated from the friction of the
machinery. The building and machinery, which a few years ago
cost $30,000, were entirely destroyed, together with five
hundred barrels of whiskey ready for shipment, and also six
hundred dollars’ worth of beer just ready to be drawn off. The
establishment and its contents are a total loss, nothing being
saved. There was no insurance. The loss is supposed to be fully
$25,000.
COLLINSVILLE MURDER
Source: Buffalo, New York Evening
Courier and Republic, 1873; Bloomington Daily Leader, April 29,
1873
On Saturday last a terrible murder was commuted near
Collinsville, Madison County, Illinois. On the farm of a Mr.
Henry Nair, three miles west of Collinsville, lived a married
colored man, George Burke, and a woman, also colored, named
Maria Bowman. Burke had paid her considerable attentions, which
she had refused to receive, thereby exciting his jealousy. He
had threatened her life several times, but no attention was paid
to the threats. On Saturday he returned from St. Louis very
drunk and violent and assaulted Maria with an axe. After
stunning her by a blow that fractured her skull, Burke cut off
the unfortunate woman's head and right hand and threw the trunk
into the creek nearby; then, sobered by his crime, fled, taking
the axe with him. He has not yet been apprehended.
COLLINSVILLE TORNADO
Source: Alton Daily Telegraph, April
15, 1879
A terrible storm from the northwest struck
Collinsville about 2:45 o'clock yesterday afternoon [April 14],
playing havoc and destruction though, fortunately, but one life
was lost, that of Annie Reynolds, daughter of John Reynolds, a
girl of eleven years who was crushed to death instantly. In the
same house where this little girl was killed, a son of Patrick
Doner had his leg broken. The other casualties were but slight,
comparatively. The storm was attended by a large quantity of
hail, and came up with but little warning, the noise before it
struck the place being like that of a train of cars. The
Episcopal, Methodist and Presbyterian Churches were badly
damaged, the steeple of the Presbyterian Church being blown off.
A horse and buggy were caught up forty or fifty feet in the air,
carried two hundred feet, the animal crushed and the vehicle
torn to pieces. There were many almost miraculous escapes from
death. The total loss is estimated at $50,000.
Source:
Utica Daily Union, June 15, 1896 (in an article regarding past
tornados and their "work")
April 14, 1879 - 1 man was killed
and 60 buildings destroyed in Collinsville, Ills. This tornado
struck a cemetery and leveled every tombstone.
Source:
Belleville, Kansas Telescope, April 24, 1879
A terrible
cyclone from the northwest struck Collinsville, Illinois at a
quarter to three o'clock on the afternoon of the 14th. One
hundred houses were more or less damaged, 10 of which were
leveled with the ground. Only one person was killed - a little
girl named Annie Reynolds. Many persons were injured and about
thirty of the houses were totally destroyed. The storm lasted
only two or three minutes, but was frightfully severe. It moved
easterly from Collinsville. The cemetery, just outside the town,
was laid waste, nearly every tombstone in it being leveled to
the ground. The total damage done in Collinsville is estimated
at fifty thousand dollars.
Source: Cambridge, Ohio News,
April 24, 1879
From the Globe-Democrat, St. Louis, Missouri -
A terrible cyclone from the Northwest struck the town of
Collinsville at a quarter to three o'clock this afternoon, and
taking a zigzag course, with the general direction almost due
east, tore through the place, demolishing ten buildings, ruining
about thirty others, and damaging more or less some seventy-five
residences and business houses. A slight rain preceded the
storm, and nearly everybody was indoors when the cyclone struck.
But, notwithstanding, ten houses were leveled with the ground,
only one person was killed - a little girl named Annie Reynolds,
and one or two others were badly injured. The storm lasted but
two or three minutes, but was frightfully severe. After it
passed, people rushed out of their houses in all directions;
mothers looking for children and husbands; fathers and brothers
who were away from home hastening to their houses to see who was
killed or hurt.
The greatest excitement and confusion
prevailed for some time, but upon the appearance of Mayor
Wadsworth and several other prominent citizens on the streets,
quietness began to prevail, and ready hands and strong arms went
to work to search the ruins for those who might have been caught
by falling houses. From a double tenement house occupied by John
Reynolds and Pat Dovan, a six year old boy of the latter was
taken in an unconscious condition and with a broken leg. He was
soon removed and placed in charge of a physician. Little Annie
Reynolds was also taken from this house dead, and crushed almost
out of resemblance to a human being.
Among the houses
destroyed or damaged were the following: A two-story frame
dwelling of Mrs. Griffiths, demolished; a row of four houses
owned by Fred Metz and occupied by four families, badly wrecked,
two of them being totally destroyed; a large tenement house of
C. L. Roberts, occupied by eleven person, twisted from its
foundation, carried about ten feet and nearly gutted of its
contents, but the inmates received but slight scratches and
bruises; a tenement house, also owned by C. L. Roberts, occupied
by Reynolds & Dovan, previously mentioned, completely
demolished; the residence of Mr. Roebuck, occupied by William
Johnston, editor of the Argus, roof carried away; the handsome
two-story brick residence of Fred Metz, roof lifted off and
front and side walls blown down, but the rear of the house in
which the Metz family lived was uninjured; the two-story frame,
occupied by James Combs, almost totally wrecked. The roof of
this house was dashed against the residence of M. C. Heedly,
smashing its rear rooms into splinters. The residence occupied
by Charles Hennecke and William Hass was nearly torn to pieces,
but the inmates were unhurt. The blacksmith shop of Mr. Wendler
was torn to shreds, and the wagon shop of John Gronour, a large
two-story frame well filled with wagons, carriages and material,
was totally destroyed and the contents torn to pieces. A cluster
of tenement houses owned by Richard Withers was badly damaged,
but the occupants were unharmed. The carpenter shop and
residence of W. W. Nilson was wrecked, and Nilson, his wife, and
two small children more or less hurt. A large two-story frame
occupied by Henry Huffenbeck as a saloon and boarding house,
having a porch about seventy-five feet long, eighteen feet high,
carried away. The residence of Louis Heck had the roof lifted
off all four walls, and was crushed in a total wreck. The
millinery store of C. A. Sengletary was badly damaged and stock
nearly destroyed. The principal church was badly shaken up.
Funeral services were being held in the church at the time, and
falling plaster and flying window glass bruised and cut nearly
all the people present, but none seriously. Numerous other shops
and dwellings were damaged, fences, plank sidewalks, trees,
outhouses and stables blown to pieces or carried away, gardens
destroyed, etc.
The cyclone, as usual, was rotary in its
movement and struck and bounded from the earth three times
during its passage through the town. Its width was only from
sixty to eighty feet. One of the evidences of its force was the
picking up of a horse and buggy and carrying them at a height of
twenty to thirty feet distance about fifteen rods, dashing them
to the earth, crushing the horse to a jelly and the buggy to
splinters. The cemetery just outside of town is laid waste,
nearly every tombstone in it being leveled to the ground. The
storm disappeared in the east, and there are reports that it did
damage elsewhere, but these reports are not yet confirmed. The
total damage in Collinsville is estimated at $50,000.
COLLINSVILLE - A PUBLIC CHASTISEMENT
Source: Auburn, New
York New & Bulletin, March 28, 1883
J. N. Peers, editor of
the Herald, was publicly horsewhipped here by Mrs. Marshall, the
wife of a well-known business man, for the publication of an
article reflecting upon herself, husband and mother. Peers was
badly marked about the face and neck.
BELL FACTORY IN COLLINSVILLE DESTROYED BY FIRE
Source:
Alton Daily Telegraph, January 15, 1885
January 13, 1884 –
The oldest and most extensive stock-bell factory in the United
States, in Collinsville, was burned to the ground at 4:30
o’clock this morning. Fifteen thousand dozen bells were
destroyed. The loss is between $50,000 and $60,000; no
insurance. The business was established in 1849, and was known
as the I. C. Moore factory. For the past seven or eight years,
it has been owned by O. B. Wilson. The origin of the fire is
supposed to be a match thrown on the floor by a young man who
roomed in the building. The fire engine was on the scene
promptly, but was of no use on account of the hose being full of
ice. No wind prevailed, and this was all that saved the greater
portion of our city.
COLLINSVILLE - WHERE COW BELLS ARE MADE
Source: Waterville
Times, New York, Abt. 1890
Collinsville, Ills., is a great
place for cattle bells. That cow bells are made and do not grow
on trees or elsewhere seems to surprise some people, but there
are four establishments in the United States which are
exclusively devoted to manufacture of that article, and two of
these are in Collinsville. One hundred and fifty dozen are
turned out daily and thousands of them dangle from the necks of
unfortunate cows all over the prairies of North and South
America. The manufacture of cow bells is entirely distinct from
that of other bells. Instead of being molded the metal is rolled
into sheets, cut into symmetrical polygons, which when folded
are pressed into their well-known form. Having been riveted they
are next packed in clay and brought to a white heat. When
suddenly cooled, these steel bells are found to be not only
tempered but also beautifully brazed. - St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
COLLINSVILLE - BIRTHPLACE OF CATCHER WILLIAM KANE
Source:
The Auburn, New York Bulletin, March 13, 1891
One of the
bright and shining lights of the St. Louis "Browns" last season
was Catcher William Kane. Kane is a six-footer, and few balls
get by him, He was born at Collinsville, Ills., about
twenty-three years ago and has developed into 170 pounds of
manhood. His first work as a ball player was as an amateur in
his native town. After playing with a number of good clubs Kane
joined the Madison club, of Evansville, Ind., and did such
excellent work with this team that President Von der Ahe soon
snapped him up for the "Browns."
COLLINSVILLE - "ILLINOIS HOUSE" DESTROYED BY FIRE - HISTORIC
LANDMARK
Source: Edwardsville Intelligencer, September 30,
1891
The Illinois House, five miles west of Collinsville on
the St. Louis plank road, was destroyed by fire Saturday
evening. The flames were discovered about 7 o'clock, and two
hours afterward the whole building, which was a large frame, was
a heap of smoldering ashes. Part of the contents were saved. The
loss is about $4,000; no insurance. The building was within a
few hundred feet of Monks Mound and was known far and wide. For
over half a century it has offered hospitable shelter to the
traveler. Before the days of railroads, it was a popular
stopping place for the stage coach drivers and teamsters going
to and returning from St. Louis. The building had a dance hall
connected, in which were held many joyous social reunions of the
neighborhood, and which, in election years, afforded,
accommodations for political meetings. Singular as it may seem,
a ball was to have taken place Saturday evening, for which
everything was in readiness, and as the hour for guests to
arrive grew night, the fiery element did its work. Captain John
Schmidt was the proprietor of the place. Since his death, his
widow and son, John, have been conducting the business. The post
office of Brooks was in the building. The books and papers were
saved and have been removed to Henry Seebode's, a near neighbor,
where Uncle Sam's affairs will be conducted until otherwise
ordered.
TRAIN WRECK ON THE VANDALIA AT COLLINSVILLE
Source:
Edwardsville Intelligencer, September 17, 1895
The west-bound
train No. 9, known as the milk train of the Vandalia railroad,
was wrecked at Collinsville at 7:31 Sunday morning as a result
of a misplaced switch. Charles Sandifer, the fireman, was killed
almost instantly, and H. A. Bauers, the engineer, received
injuries which may result seriously. Ed Canfield, the baggage
car porter, received slight injuries. There were ten passengers
on the train, but none of them received more than a good shaking
up. The train was running along at a good rate of speed, and as
the switch was only half turned, the engineer saw the danger too
late to bring the train to a stop. He bravely stayed at his post
and tried his utmost to slow up. When the train reached the
fatal obstruction, the front trucks of the engine flew to the
side track, but were turned almost entirely around by the swift
momentum. The engine was dragged a distance of about 30 feet
along the track, throwing it to one side as the coupling pin
broke from the immense strain. The three cars passed the engine,
coming to a standstill about 20 yards down the track. The
baggage car was derailed and it stopped the two remaining
coaches. After the shock had passed, the passengers and crew
searched the debris for the missing engineer and fireman.
Source: Oswego, New York, Daily Times, September 16, 1895
A westbound passenger train on the Vandalia line was wrecked at
Collinsville, Ill., yesterday by a misplaced switch. Fireman
Sandifer was crushed beneath the engine and instantly killed.
Engineer H. A. Bauers, who was working with the lever as the
engine turned over, received fatal injuries. The opening of the
switch was undoubtedly the work of some miscreants bent on
plunder or revenge.
COLLINSVILLE ZINC WORKS BURNED
Source: Rochester, New York
Democrat and Chronicle, January 8, 1897
The zinc works at
this place were destroyed by fire this morning. The works were
owned by Meister Bros., and the damage is estimated at $50,000
with partial insurance. The fire was of unknown origin.
COLLINSVILLE TORNADO
Source: Troy Weekly Call, February
10, 1900
The city of Collinsville, lying seven miles west of
Troy, was visited by a terrific tornado on Thursday morning
(February 8, 1900) at about 2:30 o’clock, and that portion in
the immediate vicinity known as Cantine and Heintz Bluff was
almost completely wiped out. More than a score of persons
received injuries, and some of them are probably fatal, although
no deaths have been reported up to this time. It is only a
miracle that a large list of deaths is not the result, as nearly
everything in the wake of the storm was leveled to the ground or
carried away.
The storm swept down on the sleeping
victims in the little houses in that section, and reduced them
to splinters without warning. People were covered up in the
debris or carried away by the unseen force, and were compelled
to help themselves and their friends as best they could in the
shadows of the darkness. The news did not spread until daybreak,
and then the entire population rushed to the storm-swept
district to offer such assistance to the distressed, as was
within their power. Physicians were early upon the scene, and
were busily engaged all day administering medical aid to the
injured.
The heaviest losers were the laborers and
farmers in the vicinity of the Zinc Works and “Little Italy.”
Many of the dwellings, together with their contents, are a total
loss, having been reduced to splinters. The smokestacks of the
Heintz Bluff Mine were blown down, and other damage done about
the place. Telegraphic communication on the Vandalia Line was
considerably damaged – poles and wires being strewn everywhere.
Fire added to the horrors of the situation, but despite the
wind, did not spread, and no great loss resulted.
The
first house to go down was that of Frank Kobart, in which the
family was buried in the debris, but escaped with their lives.
Next, a group of dwellings occupied by the Markchetti’s was
completely demolished. Another group of large frame dwellings in
which the Lawrence, Odderhole, and Fix families resided, was
reduced to ruins. About a dozen small houses occupied by Italian
laborers were more or less demolished. The brick residence of
Fillmore Crowson, three-quarters of a mile west of Formosa, is a
total wreck. It is remarkable to note that, considering the
manner in which buildings were torn to pieces, their occupants
escaped with their lives.
The wind, which wrought so much
havoc in the outskirts of Collinsville, apparently came from the
southwest. The houses in the path of the storm were mostly those
on the surrounding high hills, and offered very little
resistance to the destructive force, which is estimated to have
traveled at a terrible rate. The path of the storm ranged from
fifty to two-hundred yards in width, and several miles in
length. The course is easily discernable with the eye, having
literally cut a swath through the settled portion and the
adjacent timber through which it passed.
Great throngs of
people from all parts of the surrounding country flocked to the
scene yesterday. The injured and otherwise afflicted victims are
receiving all possible care and protection.
Two separate
and distinct storms accompanied by heavy downpours of rain swept
over St. Clair County. Property at French Village, Belleville,
East St. Louis, and other points was considerably damaged, but
with no serious damage to life and limb. A four-story brick
building in St. Louis was leveled to the ground, and
considerable damage of lesser importance resulted. The storm
extended generally throughout the southwest and extended into
Missouri, Arkansas, and Texas.
The seriously injured are:
Sophie Fix, 17 years old; Katie Markchetti, 16 years old; Mrs.
Joseph Markchetti; Mrs. John Lorenz; and Otto Aderhold.
Others Injured:
John and Mary Olsa and infant; John and Emma
Quarenghi; Charles Quarenghi, 19 years old; Annie Quarenghi, 15
years old; Joseph Markehetti; Stephen Markehetti; Barney
Falleteo; Mrs. Minnie Fix; Harry Fix, 24 years old; Will Fix, 13
years old; Nent Alderson; John Lorentz; Grace Lorentz (infant);
theodore Lorentz; Mr. and Mrs. William Aderhold; and Mr. and
Mrs. Frank Kobart.
FIRST ANNUAL EASTER EGG HUNT
Source: Edwardsville
Intelligencer, April 29, 1916
The first annual Easter egg
hunt was given under the auspices of the businessmen of
Collinsville in Mauer Park in the West End Sunday afternoon at 3
o'clock. The affair drew several hundred spectators, all in
Eastern toggery to the scene and at the stated hour all children
over thirteen years of age were turned in to hunt for the eggs.
There were about 93 marked eggs hidden and 155 prizes were
offered by the businessmen for their recovery. The prizes ranged
from a show ticket to several dollars, and included everything
from an ice coupon book to a pound of candy. Needless to say,
the youngsters had a fine time and brought all the eggs in, and
the grown folks too declare it was real pleasure to watch them.
THE
LYNCHING OF ROBERT PAUL PRAGER
Suspected of Being German Spy
Source: The Troy Call, Troy, Illinois, April 5, 1918
Robert
Paul Prager, an alien enemy, 39 years old, and suspected of
being a German spy, was hanged by a mob at Mahler Heights, west
of Collinsville, about 1 o'clock this morning. Prager had been
under surveillance for some time because of alleged disloyal
remarks. He was in Maryville yesterday, where he posted a
proclamation declaring his loyalty, and as a result he was run
out of town. He was followed to Collinsville by a number of men,
and a mob soon assembled at the Suburban "Y." It proceeded to
the Bruno bakery where Prager was found and taken out and
marched down the street in his bare feet with an American flag
wrapped around his body. Police rescued Prager from the mob and
took him to the city jail in the city hall. The crowd then went
to the jail and demanded that Prager be turned over to them. In
the meantime, Mayor Siegel had been summoned and pleaded with
the men not to resort to violence. It was then Prager was taken
out of his cell and concealed among the rubbish of the city
hall. The mob dispersed after the talk by Mayor Siegel, but
returned after several hours and made a search for Prager, who
was taken out and hurried down the street. The police say they
were unable to handle the situation.
Prager was marched
out to Mahler Heights, west of Collinsville, and forced to
kneel. Arms crossed, he prayed in German for a few minutes. The
men placed a rope around his neck and Prager was swung to a tree
for several seconds. He was then let down and asked if he had
anything to say, and requested that he be permitted to write a
farewell to his parents in Germany. His brief letter follows:
"Carl Henry Prager, Dresden, Germany. Dear Parents:
I must, this the fourth 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 Prager."
After being
permitted to write the note, Prager was again drawn up by the
rope and left hanging, and the mob dispersed quietly. Prager had
worked as a baker at the Bruno bakery for several years, but of
late had been trying to secure employment at the coal mine at
Maryville. He was denied union membership there because of his
disloyal remarks against the United States. He was registered in
St. Louis as an alien enemy. The authorities are indignant over
the affair. Attorney General Brundage and State's Attorney
Streuber have denounced the lynching as a disgrace, and declare
that the members of the mob must suffer for the act which was as
unlawful as it was heinous and horrible. President Wilson and
his cabinet have also denounced the affair. Attorney General
Brundage is expected in Collinsville today, and the inquest into
the death of Prager is expected to be held Monday.
NOTES:
During the height of World War I, Robert Paul Prager, a coal
miner, made speeches to his fellow coal miners on Socialism, and
made derogatory remarks regarding American President Wilson.
Prager had been under surveillance for some time, with some
authorities fearing he was a German spy. The fear of German
spies was prevalent throughout America, and bridges and vital
businesses were guarded by the military to prevent sabotage.
Many Germans pledged allegiance to America publicly, and some
even changed their names to become more “Americanized.” The day
before his lynching, Prager put up posters at the Maryville
mine, proclaiming his loyalty to the American government.
The miners became incensed at Prager’s action. When they
threatened to do him bodily harm, he escaped to Collinsville
where he lived. He was followed, captured, and lynched. In
Prager’s pocket was found a long “proclamation” in which he
stated his loyalty to the United States and to union labor. The
location of the hanging was along St. Louis Road in
Collinsville, near the St. John Cemetery.
The news of
the lynching of Robert Prager spread throughout the country. The
Swiss embassy in Washington D.C., which was attending to German
interests in America, offered to pay the funeral expenses,
however the state of Illinois paid the funeral expense, and sent
the Swiss embassy a bill. The funeral was held in St. Louis at
the Harmonie Lodge of the I. O. O. F., of which Prager was a
member, and he was buried in the St. Matthews Cemetery in St.
Louis.
Joseph Riegel, Wesley Beaver, Richard Dukes Jr.,
William Brockmeier and Enid Elmore, all of Collinsville, were
arrested at the request of the coroner's jury investigating the
death of Robert P. Prager. Following the inquest, the men were
taken to Edwardsville to await the action of the Madison County
Grand Jury. Riegel, a proprietor of a shoe repair shop in
Collinsville, previously had admitted to being the leader of the
mob. Two of the other men were miners, and one a porter in a
saloon.
The trial was held in May 1918. The eleven
defendants arrived in the courtroom wearing American flags. The
jury included: Keith Ebey, clerk, Edwardsville; T. Benett,
railroad car accountant, Edwardsville; George Neary Sr.,
janitor, Edwardsville; Walter Solterman, teamster, Worden; W. C.
Dippold, flour miller, Edwardsville; Marion Baumgartner, tailor,
Edwardsville; D. W. Fiegenbaum, manufacturer, Edwardsville; John
Groshans, farmer, Edwardsville; A. H. Challacombe, plumber,
Alton; Frank Oben, horse and mule buyer, Alton; F. W. Horn,
tailor, Alton; Frank Weeks, clerk, Edwardsville.
State's
Attorney Streuber made a brief opening statement: "We do not
represent Prager nor any pro-German nor any pro-German
sentiment," he declared. "We have made an effort to keep
possible pro-Germans off the jury and I believe we have one that
is 100 percent loyal. Our only interest is to see that the law
is upheld. If Prager was either a pro-German or a spy, there was
a remedy at law, and we aim to show that a mob took the law upon
itself, which is in itself a violation."
James M. Bandy,
chief counsel for the defense, then spoke briefly. He declared
there was evidence to show Prager's disloyalty and that "after
all the evidence is in, the jury will not return a verdict of
guilty."
More than 100 witnesses were summoned to appear
at the trial. The men were declared not guilty by the jury, and
were set free. The announcement of the verdict was greeted with
loud cheers, and when the men filed out of the courthouse, they
joined in a parade headed by the Great Lakes “Jackie” Band. The
acquittal was no great surprise to those who heard the evidence
in the case. The state failed to prove the actual participation
of any of the accused men. As a result, one county paper
asserted that Prager must have hung himself.
Following
announcement of the verdict, State's Attorney Streuber dismissed
the charges against five others who were implicated in the
Prager case. They were George Davis, Martin Futchek, Fred Frost,
Harry Stevens, and John Tobnick. The latter four were police
officers and were charged with malfeasance in office.
In
September 1919, it was announced that Robert Paul Prager’s body
was to be exhumed, and moved “from one of the humblest graves”
in the cemetery to one of the “prettiest spots in the burial
grounds.” The Harmonic Lodge No. 353, I. O. O. F., was to pay
for the exhumation and re-burial. They also erected a monument
for Prager.