Logan County, Illinois - Chapter 19: Civil and Criminal, 1911

Chapter 19: Civil and Criminal

Somewhat in the nature of an addenda or subjoinder to the chapter on "Bench and Bar" is given this brief account of certain well-known matters of litigation and certain criminal events that have occurred in the county during its history. No apology is offered for a failure to make detailed reference to various cases of homicide that have, at times, - marred the fair history of the county, as it is in no sense of the word the object or intention of this chapter to furnish a complete calendar of criminal events. Only attention has been called to the few crimes that either on account of their atrocity or the standing of those implicated, or other reasons, have attracted general notice, brief accounts of which are here chronicled, for the reason that if omitted it might be well said that historical completeness had suffered thereby. It might also be stated, in passing, that no capital execution has ever taken place in Logan County, although the usual number of homicides have occurred in this county as in other counties of similar population. Logan County juries have always shown themselves averse to capital punishment.

The case with the above title is only noteworthy from the fact that it is the first lawsuit which ever went up to the Supreme Court of IIlinois from Logan County. The litigants in this case were John Wright, plaintiff, and Robert T. McNeely, and the issues, which are unimportant now, arose over the sale of certain Logan County lands by the sheriff of the county. The cause was a chancery suit, and was filed February 24, 1848. The attorneys on one side were Abraham Lincoln, William Herndon and Stephen T. Logan. No local attorneys participated in the case. One of the questions involved in the cause was the value of certain farm lands in Logan County at that early date. The description of the lands have been lost. Stephen Price, one of the witnesses, testified that he had known the lands in question since 1841, and that in 1846 he had "made up his mind to offer Wright $1,500 for 200 acres of it." That would have been $7.50 per acre. David Pence testified the land was worth seven dollars per acre; William McNeely that it was worth about $2.50 per acre, and that "he would not give the entrance for one of the eighties; George N. Miles thought it worth three dollars per acre; N. M. Whitaker, three or four dollars per acre; Berryman Boughan, seven dollars per acre, and James Primm thought it could have been bought for two dollars per acre, cash in hand.

The Postville Court House Case

Lucien B. Adams, and others, versus the County of Logan, was the title of a suit filed at the August term, 1849, of the Logan Circuit Court. The declaration averred that in consequence of the act of the General Assembly establishing the counties of Logan, Menard and Dane, approved February 15, 1839, S. M. Tinsley, one of the plaintiffs, proposed, upon the condition that the county seat for Logan County should be at Postville, to erect a "framed building" upon certain specified lots, which he would give the county for a court house and other county purposes; that M. L. Knapp, another of the plaintiffs, proposed to give two blocks of ground on the same condition; that the commissioners named in the act made said location temporarily at Postville; that Tinsley built the house as he proposed, and Knapp conveyed the blocks of ground; that afterwards the General Assembly passed an act, February 17, 1841, permanently locating the county seat at Postville; that the proprietors of Postville, in view of the provisions of the last named act, which required a donation of $3,000 on the permanent location of the seat of justice at Postville, proposed, first, that they be allowed the amount already paid for building the court house, and for the several lots by them previously given to the county; that this proposition was accepted by the county commissioners, by an order entered upon their records; that on the same day deeds of conveyance were executed by the proprietors, who were the plaintiffs, of the lots given to the county, with the court house, the deeds being ordinary deeds in fee simple; that, by a subsequent act of the General Assembly, authorizing a vote of the people, for that object, the seat of justice of Logan County was removed from Postville to Mt. Pulaski; that afterwards said lots and court house were sold by the county for $300, and the money was received by the county; and this suit was brought by the proprietors of Postville to recover the value of the property they had donated the county.

In this suit, Abraham Lincoln, William Herndon and Charles Emerson appeared for Logan County, and Stephen T. Logan, John T. Stuart and Ninian Edwards for the proprietors of Postville. The court above sustained the court below, it holding that the action could not be maintained. "It is not, nor can it be denied," said the court, "but that the Legislature still retained complete control over the county seat of Logan County, notwithstanding all that had been done fixing it at Postville. Nor was there any covenant or agreement that the money should be repaid, or that the lands should revert, which had been donated to the county by the proprietors of Postville under the several acts of the Legislature to induce the location of the county seat at that place. When the money was paid and the land conveyed, the donors knew that the county seat might, when the good of the community required it, be changed; and it must be presumed that they acted in view of such contingency. Had they intended to guard against the consequences of such a removal, they should have made an express agreement or reservation to that effect in the deed. So far from that, they made an absolute conveyance, without any reservation whatever."

"It is undoubtedly true," continued the court, "that the donors made this donation to the county in order to secure the location of the county seat at Postvile, with the expectation of being more than reimbursed in the enhanced value of their other property in the place; and it is equally beyond doubt that all the property in the place, as well theirs as that of others, may have more or less depreciated in value by the removal of the seat of justice. But it appears that while the county seat remained at Postville, they sold to individuals a large portion of their real estate in and about that place; and in that way they have, undoubtedly, in part, if not entirely, been reimbursed for the bonus which they gave the county. Should we allow them now to recover of the county, they would be twice reimbursed. Those who have bought property of them, or even of others at the enhanced prices occasioned by the location of the county seat, have as much cause to complain as they have. Those to whom they have sold have no means of recovering from them any portion of the amount which might be recovered from the county; and yet, if there is any equity in any portion of this claim, such purchasers have an equal right to a ratable proportion of what the county should be obliged to pay. If the county has received money, which in equity the county ought not to retain, how shall we determine to whom it equitably belongs? The court that should undertake to determine this would find itself inextricably involved in a labyrinth of inquiries. They might have insisted, in their contract, that the title should revert in case of a removal. But there is no such intimation in any of their written proposals, presented to the commissioners during the negotiation. Had there been, perhaps Postville never would have been the county seat." gan County the proposition of moving the county seat from Mt. Pulaski - to the present site of Lincoln. Pursuant to this act a vote was taken, resulting in favor of removal. George W. Turley and others of Mt. Pulaski filed their bill in the Logan County court to restrain the county officers from erecting county buildings at the new location, on the ground that, as appeared by the legislative journal, the act had not been read in the House of Representatives the full number of times required by the Constitution, and so was no law. Afterwards, in February of 1854, the same Legislature met in extra session, and on the recollection of members and by the manuscript minutes of the clerk of the House of Representatives, amended its journal so that it showed the bill, or act, had been read the requisite number of times. At the ensuing term of court, the county of Logan, being defendant in the bill for injunction, above noted, filed its answer, averring that the bill had, in fact, been read the requisite number of times, and also averring the amendment . of the journal as aforesaid, and thereon moved the court to dissolve the injunction. The court, David Davis, judge, at the September term, A. D. 1854, dissolved the injunction and dismissed the bill. An appeal was taken to the Supreme Court from the judgment of the lower court. John T. Stuart represented the complainants, and Abraham Lincoln represented the county of Logan. The Supreme Court affirmed the lower court, holding that the Legislature had a right, at the same or a subsequent session to correct its own journals by amendments, which show the true facts, as they actually occurred, when they are satisfied that the truth has been omitted.

An Elkhart Robbery

On December 29, 1866, a citizen and resident of Elkhart, one Charles Elwood, was robbed of about $5,800 in currency. Mr. Elwood had been to St. Louis on business on Thursday, the 27th, where he had been paid, in certain business transactions, the sum of $6,000. This money he brought with him to Elkhart that same day, and that same evening he deposited it in his safe in his office. Friday morning he went to Springfield on an early train, returning to Elkhart about nine o'clock the same morning. When he alighted from the train, he noticed two men near him, and noticed afterwards that they were following him from the depot to his office, but supposed that they were going to the hotel, and thought no more about it. Saturday morning he went to his office about five o'clock, with the intention of sending part of the money to Springfield. He was making a fire in the stove, it being in the dead. of winter, when a man stepped into the office and asked the privilege of warming. After getting the fire started, Mr. Elwood went to his safe, unlocked it, and, with little thought of the strange man in the office, whom he supposed was a farmer, proceeded to take out his package of money, keeping his back all the while to the stranger. He was in the act of counting the money, when suddenly a second man appeared by his side, threw a cord around his neck and drew it tight, while the man by the stove jumped up and placed a sponge, saturated with chloroform, to Mr. Elwood's mouth and nose, rendering him insensible. When Mr. Elwood's clerk came about two hours later, to open the office, he found Mr. Elwood on the floor, still insensible. The cord with which Mr. Elwood was tied was a drum cord, about seven feet long, and had been wrapped three times around Mr. Elwood's neck and drawn so tight that but one strand was visible. The package of money was, of course, gone as were also the men. The entire amount taken was $5,800. The county authorities made every effort to find some clue to the crime, but without avail. The men were not apprehended, and no portion of the money was ever recovered. Mr. Elwood seemed to be a man whom the fates were relentlessly pursuing, for about . a month later he was again held up near Vandalia and robbed of forty _ dollars. He was left insensible on the railroad track, and when discovered his feet were so badly frozen that amputation became necessary.

Attempted Bank Robbery At Mt. Pulaski

On April 23, 1879, an apparently well planned effort was made to rob the bank of Scroggin & Sawyer, now the bank of Scroggin & Son, of Mt. Pulaski. The cashier at that time was Walter Sawyer. About two o'clock in the morning of the 23d, Mr. Sawyer was wakened at his home by a noise, as of some one knocking at his front door. He got up and went to the door and opened it, when he was immediately covered with two revolvers, in the hands of two men on the doorstep, a third man standing at the side. Mr. Sawyer was ordered to throw up his hands and keep quiet, which he did. The men then seized him and gagged him. One man was left at the house, while the other two marched Mr. Sawyer to the bank, at the point of their revolvers. Arriving at the bank, they forced him to open the outside door. When on the inside, however, they directed him to open the vault, but he finally got them to understand, by signs, that the vault had a time lock and he could not open it. It was some time before they were convinced, but finally became satisfied. Not being apparently prepared to blow up the vault, they thereupon decamped. The man at the house secured $1 50 in currency and Mr. Sawyer's watch, but no other booty was available. The bank safe at the time contained $50,000 in cash and bonds.

The Talbott Homicide

where the parties involved were well known or of considerable standing in the community. One of these unfortunate occurrences, however, where the parties were so well known that the community was greatly shocked to hear of the tragedy, was the shooting of Harry Talbott, in the store of Boyd, Paisley & Co., at Lincoln, on New Year's Day of 1879. Mr. Talbott had rented a farm of Shepard S. Bell in 1878, and, owing to some misunderstanding, the parties became involved in a lawsuit. This engendered bad feeling, and in attempting to make a settlement on the day above mentioned, a quarrel arose between the two. Finally Bell produced a revolver, a scuffle ensued, and Bell fired three shots, one taking effect in Talbott's right shoulder, a second entering Talbott's body just under the ribs on the left side, and the third shot struck the floor. Bell then walked out on the street, where he was immediately placed under arrest. Talbott was removed to the Lincoln House, where physicians sought to extract the bullets from his body. One bullet was taken out, but the other could not be found. Talbott died, however, the following morning, after making his will.

Bell was promptly indicted by the grand jury. At the May term of court the case was continued until September. Then a change of venue was taken to McLean County, where a trial was had in March, 1880, self-defense being the plea set up by Bell in the trial. The jury, after deliberating three days, were dismissed, as unable to arrive at a verdict. Later Bell was tried again in Sangamon County, where, to the great surprise of the citizens of Logan County generally, a jury returned a verdict of not guilty. He afterwards removed to Dakota.

The Triple Murder

What was known as "the triple murder" occurred about six miles east of Mt. Pulaski, August 20, 1882, and was of such an atrocious character that it was talked about in all sections of the country, being one of the sensations of the day. It is noted here on account of its widespread notoriety, and for the reason that it has few parallels in the history of criminology. The scene of this tragedy was at what was known as the old Connelly place, six miles east of Mt. Pulaski, and two miles south of Chestnut. Here, in 1882, lived a bachelor, about forty-six years of age, by the name of Charles H. McMahan. He had lived in this county about twenty years, was a quiet, law-abiding citizen, and was estimated to be worth about $12,000. At the time of this crime he lived by himself on the farm, with the exception of the fact that Robert Matheny and John Carlock, two hired hands, were working on the place and were temporarily stopping with him. Matheny and Carlock were aged twenty-one and seventeen, respectively, and were single men of excellent reputation. The farm house was a small, onestory building, situated fully a half-mile from the road, was unpainted, and had been built over thirty years before. There was no fence about the place, the premises were untidy, grown up with weeds, the outbuildings dilapidated and in various stages of decay, and the entire surroundings being dark, gloomy and foreboding.

On Friday evening, August 18th, 1882, some of the neighbors saw McMahan and his two hired hands, Matheny and Carlock, at work, stacking oats on the place, and that was the last that any one ever saw any one of the three alive. On Saturday one of the neighbors was annoyed by a stray horse belonging to McMahan, and went over to Mc- Mahan's on Sunday morning to ask him to come and get it and take it away. He found no one around, but noticed that quilts were hung at the windows, and things were generally out of place. His suspicions being aroused, two other neighbors joined him in a search through the place. The search revealed the body of a man in a clump of tall weeds, near some corn pens, about 300 yards south of the house. It proved to be the body of John Carlock. Further search revealed the body of Matheny, about fifteen feet away, and the remains of McMahan were later discovered in some tall grass, in a slough, 120 yards away from where the body of Carlock was found. All three were found lying upon their backs, their throats cut from ear to ear, and the gash in Carlock's throat having almost severed the head from the body. All were blindfolded, gagged, their hands tied behind their backs and their feet hobbled. Matheny and Carlock had each been struck a severe blow on the head with a hard instrument which had laid bare their skulls, indicating that they had first been knocked down, then bound and gagged, and finally killed, upon the theory that 'dead men tell no tales."

An examination of the house showed no evidences of any struggle there. The doors had no bars or locks, so that the murderers had no difficulty in effecting an entrance. It seemed evident that the three inmates of the house had cooked and eaten their supper, and only about half undressed, had thrown themselves upon their beds. The bodies when found were clothed in shirts and overalls, and McMahan had socks on his feet. Their shoes were all found in the house. It was - probable that the murderers, after gagging their victims and robbing them of their possessions, had marched them in a hobbled condition across a piece of plowed ground to the corn pens, where the two young men were murdered, and had then taken McMahan 120 yards farther to the slough, where he was also slaughtered. What thoughts passed through the minds of these poor fellows as they were thus driven along by their ferocious captors is too horrible to conjecture.

In the search that followed, a trail was followed for about two miles and then lost. A coroner's jury was empanelled on Sunday and after an examination of the premises and the bodies, adjourned to meet at Mt. Pulaski on August 23d. Monday the remains of the victims were

The news of the terrible affair spread rapidly, creating everywhere great excitement. Governor Cullom offered $200 reward for the apprehension of the murderers, the Board of Supervisors offered $1,000 more, and authorized the payment of $1,000 for the employment of detectives. Relatives of McMahan offered $1,000; residents of Chestnut and vicinity, $500; residents of Beason and vicinity, $500; residents of Latham and vicinity, $500; residents of Mt. Pulaski and vicinity, $500, making $6,600 in all. It was thought that the murderers secured about $300, in addition to McMahan's gold watch and chain. Several weeks before the murder McMahan had been given a check for over $1,200, but had not cashed it. On the day of the murder he took the check to the bank and drew $200 of the check and took a certificate of deposit for the money. It is likely that the murderers thought he had cashed the entire check and had the money on his person.

These rewards attracted a number of volunteer detectives and many arrests were made, during the succeeding few months. No evidence sufficient to convict any one, however, was found. On the first of January, in 1884, the matter was placed, by the authorities, directly into the hands of the Pinkerton detective agency, resulting in the subsequent arrest of John H. Hall and David Long, on February 16, 1884, at East St. Louis, whither they had been decoyed from St. Louis, to avoid the delay of securing a requisition from the Governor. They were in prison in St. Louis, until Tuesday evening following when they were brought to Lincoln. John H. Hall was a brother of Noah P. Hall, and the latter was a brother-in-law of the deceased, Charles McMahan. Long was never suspected of complicity in the affair, but was employed by the detectives to associate with Hall and gain his confidence.

At the May term of the Logan County court in 1884, the grand jury indicted John Hall and his wife, Belle Hall, and William Ferris, Mrs. Hall's brother. The trial commenced June roth, and continued until the 25th, the jury finding Hall guilty and sending him to the penitentiary for life. Ferris and Mrs. Hall were acquitted on the charge of murdering McMahan, but were immediately re-arrested on the charge of. killing Carlock and Matheny. At the September term, the indictments against Ferris and Mrs. Hall were dismissed. The "triple murder" case cost the county over $6,000. Hall died at the penitentiary in Joliet, February 19, 1887, making a dying statement, in which he strenuously declared his innocence of the crime for which he had been convicted. The prison officials regarded him as an innocent man.

The Zura Burns Case

continued for several months, and furnished glaring headlines for the metropolitan papers of the entire country. It destroyed the reputation of a prominent business man, consumed his property, stirred up the community, entailed great expense on the county, gave employment to an army of lawyers, detectives and newspaper reporters and gave the. readers a surfeit of unwholesome literature. About 7:30 o'clock, Monday morning, October 15, 1883, Mrs. Patrick Jewett found the dead body of a young woman, lying at the far end of a short lane in what is known as Sigg's Survey, in the northwestern portion of the City of Lincoln and west of where Woodlawn addition has since been laid out. The body was lying in a furrow. There were no indications of a struggle, yet the ground had seemingly been tramped considerably about the body. The tracks of a buggy led from the spot southward through the lane, where they were lost in the road. The body presented a horrible sight. The right side of the forehead had been crushed in, as if | with a blunt instrument, and the throat had been cut from ear to ear. The face and hair was so clotted with blood, that the features were hardly recognizable. The earth beneath the head was saturated with blood to the depths of several inches.

The coroner having been duly notified, the body was viewed by him and then brought to town. The hotel clerk of the Lincoln House identified her as a young woman, who had come to the hotel on the Saturday morning previous and registered as Zura Burns, of Vandalia, Ill. The 'bus driver also identified her as a woman he had brought from the Peoria, Decatur and Evansville depot to the hotel, on the morning mentioned. It was also ascertained that a little after eight o'clock, Saturday night, she had left the Lincoln House, with a small hand satchel and a gossamer. Her father, William H. Burns, was located at Vandalia, and was telegraphed for, arriving in Lincoln, Wednesday morning. It also developed that the name "Zura" was a nickname for her Christian name of Missouri. The coroner's jury, composed of six highly respected citizens, met on October 17, 1883, and continued in session until November Ist, examining the evidence in the case and on the latter date returned the following verdict: "In the matter of the inquisition on the body of Missouri Burns, held at Lincoln, Ill., from October 17 to November 1, we, the undersigned jurors, sworn to inquire of the death of Missouri Burns, on oath do find that she came to her death, by means of a wound in the throat, produced by some sharp instrument, in the hands of some person or persons unknown."

Some of the testimony, before the coroner's jury, connected the name of a well known and respectable citizen of Lincoln, Orrin A. Carpenter, with the occurrence, and while the coroner's jury did not recommend that he be held for preliminary examination, the county authorities took action in that direction. Mr. Carpenter was forty-six years of age, had come to Logan County from Rhode Island, in 1854, and lived first at Lawndale. A year later he and his family moved to a farm, four or five miles northwest of Lincoln. About 1878, Mr. Carpenter, in company with A. Esten, of Lawndale, purchased the Barrett elevator at Lincoln, where Carpenter and Esten were engaged in the grain business at the time of this tragedy. As stated before, he was well. known and of excellent standing in the community, was a leading member of one of the city churches and his wife and daughters were estimable people and quite popular in the community. He was in good circumstances and his surroundings were ideal.

By agreement of the state and the defendant, the preliminary hearing of Carpenter occurred before Judge Lacey, of the Circuit Court. This occupied about five days and a sixth day was taken up in arguments of the attorneys, principally upon the question of admission to bail. At the conclusion, Carpenter was bound over to the grand jury to the January term of the Circuit Court, and admitted to bail in the sum of $10,000. In admitting Carpenter to bail, Judge Lacey gave the following decision:

"This case is one of the most extraordinary that it has ever been my duty to examine into or try, as a judicial officer, both on account of the enormity of the crime and the great mystery that surrounds it. It has already become notorious from one end of the Union to the other. The fact that a young woman, some 22 years of age, in good health, and in the prime of life and vigor, has been cruelly and inhumanly butchered, first being knocked on the head with a bludgeon, and then having her throat cut from ear to ear, for no apparent justifiable cause or offense, on her part, is quite sufficient to, and has aroused the just indignation of all people who love law and order and abhor crime. The inhuman act took place in the midst of a people, who are among the most orderly or law-abiding in the state. To add to the interest which surrounds it, the evidence fails to show any motive unless it be an attempt to cover up a social crime. To still add to the absorbing interest, the defendant is a man, who had always, prior to the time of this occurrence, borne an exceptionally good character, and is the father of a respected family."

"The hearing of the case has occupied some five days, and in that time, a great number of witnesses have been examined for and against the defendant, and the fullest latitude, consistent with the rules of law, has been given, it being the earnest desire to arrive at the truth. The preparation, management and conduct of the case, show that the people of the county of Logan, earnestly desiring the punishment of the guilty, have made every effort in their power, to discover the evidence necessary to convict. Detectives have been at work, everything has been done that, apparently, could be done to shed light on the case and discover the truth. The defendant has been ably defended. The evidence is all circumstantial. The deed was committed in the dead hours of the night. No eye witness can testify to having seen the crime committed. After a careful consideration of the evidence, I am of the opinion that the guilt of the defendant is not so evident, according to the letter and spirit of the constitution, that bail should be refused; yet I feel that there is probable cause, according to the meaning of the criminal code, and shall hold the defendant to bail. It is therefore my decision, that he be held to bail, in the penal sum of $10,000, with good security, for his appearance at the next term of the Logan County Circuit Court, to be held on the third Monday in January, A. D., 1884." The bond of Mr. Carpenter was promptly filed.

At the January term, 1884, the grand jury indicted Mr. Carpenter, charging him with the murder of Zura Burns. On this indictment being brought in, Judge Herdman, presiding, refused to admit Carpenter to bail and he was taken to the county jail. Later he was arraigned and plead not guilty. On February 5, 1884, Carpenter applied for and was | granted a change of venue to Menard County, upon the allegation that the public were prejudiced against him in Logan County. He was then taken to Petersburg and lodged in jail. 'His trial began at that place on March 3rd, Judge Lacey presiding, and continued three weeks, resulting in a verdict of acquittal. The attorneys for the state were R. B. Forrest and E. D. Blinn, of Lincoln, and S. S. Knowles and N. W. Branson, of Petersburg; for the defendant, T. T. Beach, Joseph Hodnett and E. Lynch, of Lincoln, and Thomas McNeeley, of Petersburg. Returning to Lincoln, Mr. Carpenter met a strong sentiment against him, resulting in a local meeting, where resolutions were passed, requesting him to leave the county. Subsequently, he moved to Sioux Falls, Dakota, where he is now located in business. He visited Lincoln, for the first time since the tragedy, in September of 1910.

Emden Bank Robbery

At the hour of three o'clock, Wednesday morning, November 28, 1900, a number of the citizens of Emden were awakened by unusual noises, in the nature of explosions, emanating from the business section of the town. Albert G. Alberts was the first man to emerge from his residence, to ascertain the cause. As he journeyed in the dark, from his residence to the business portion, two men stepped from behind some trees, as he passed along, and leveling their revolvers at him, compelled him to throw up his hands. They then marched him down to the Farmers' Bank building. Here he saw two other men and also discovered the fact that explosives had been used upon the vault door of the safe, tearing it from its hinges. Mr. Alberts was tied and gagged and securely fastened by cords to a couch, in the room adjoining the room in which the safe was located. While he was there, another explosion occurred, which shattered the interior of the safe, scattering its contents about. The robbers then secured the booty in sight and made their way to the railroad, where they boarded a hand car going in the direction of Delavan.

~ After the robbers had gone, Mr. Alberts loosened the cords by which he was bound, and gave the general alarm. Word was sent in all directions by wire and telephone, notifying all the towns around of the robbery. At Hopedale, a posse was organized in pursuit of the marauders, but without avail, as they succeeded in getting away without being apprehended. They carried with them, from the burglarized bank, in the neighborhood of $2,300. In addition they took two certain bonds, one issued by Carroll County, Kentucky, for $400 and another issued by Knox County, Indiana, for $500. The police authorities throughout the country were notified to be on the lookout for these bonds. Finally, in September of 1901, the authorities in St. Louis discovered that these bonds had been offered for sale, to a local broker, by one C. G. Crawford, who claimed they had been brought to him by two men named Edward Steighler and John Wilson. Both men were arrested and brought to Lincoln and subsequently indicted by a Logan County grand jury. The trial was held in June of 1902. Steigler was found guilty and is now serving sentence in the penitentiary. Wilson was acquitted, there being no evidence to connect him directly with the robbery. Steigler has never divulged the names of his partners in crime and none of the stolen money was ever recovered.

The Frorer Robbery

Probably one of the boldest crimes ever committed in Logan County was the assault and robbery, in broad daylight, on the streets of Lincoln, on March 25, 1908, of one of Lincoln's best known and wealthiest citizens, Frank Frorer. Mr. Frorer was born in Germany in 1832 and came to Lincoln, at its inception as a town, in 1853. He began as a clerk in a hardware store, later establishing a similar store of his own. By economy and perseverance, as well as judicious investments, he gradually accumulated considerable property. At the time of the robbery, he was President of the First National Bank and a part owner of what was known as the South Coal Shaft. For a great number of years, Mr. Frorer had looked after the payment of the miners at the coal shaft and it was his custom to ascertain the amount needed to pay the men on pay day, driving to the First National bank, with an open wagon, loading in the amount of currency needed, in a chest used for that purpose, and carting the money, in this manner, to the office at the coal

On March 25, 1908, he drove up his open wagon to the bank, as usual, the hour being about two o'clock in the afternoon. He had counted out and placed in the chest, about $5,000, in gold and silver currency. This he loaded into the wagon and drove toward the south shaft. At the corner of Third and Maple streets, a man ran out into the road and jumped into the wagon and before Mr. Frorer could realize what was taking place, drew a loaded "billy" from his pocket and struck Mr. Frorer a blow on the head. Mr. Frorer collapsed in the bed of the wagon, another man came running up and the two men gathered the money chest and started north with it, in the direction of St. Patrick's church, Mr. Frorer being unconscious all the while. Here a third man was located with a livery rig. The chest was loaded into this rig and the three men drove northward through the city, and out upon the Atlanta road. On recovering consciousness, Mr. Frorer came back to town and gave the alarm. The sheriff and police started in immediate pur- . suit of the robbers. At the Nicholson farm, just north of town, they found where the men had abandoned the rig, taking to the fields, believing the chances of escape much better than in the beaten highway.

The authorities returned to town and secured an automobile, with which they started in a northeasterly direction. When five or six miles out from town, they met two men, whose conduct was suspicious, and these they arrested, brought to town and lodged in the county jail. These suspects were Elmer Highfield and Fred Ramelow. They were subsequently identified by the Springfield police as known in that locality. Two or three days later one John Kennedy was also apprehended, as being connected with the assault. All three were indicted for robbery and on May 26, 1908, pleaded guilty and were sentenced to the penitentiary. Mr. Frorer was never the same man after this assault. His health gave way and on June 8, 1908, a little over two months after the assault, he died. Later, Highfield was paroled from the penitentiary and turned state's evidence, implicating, with Kennedy, Ramelow and himself, one William Webber. Webber was a Lincoln man, who had previously pleaded guilty to burglarizing a business house in the city and who is also serving sentence in the penitentiary. All have been indicted for the murder of Mr. Frorer and their hearing on this charge is awaiting their discharge from the penitentiary, after the expiration of their present terms.