The Hanged Prussian

[porphyry]

On April 3 of 1918, Robert Prager, an American citizen of German origin, denied work as a coal miner in Maryville, Illinois because the other miners thought he looked like a spy, spoke out at a socialist meeting against Woodrow Wilson. The next day he was kidnapped by a mob from his house at 208 Vandalia Avenue in Collinsville, wrapped in an American Flag, made to kiss it, and to run up and down the street waving two hand-held flags. He was taken into protective custody by the police. The next day there was a demosntration against him in front of the City Hall in Collinsville, and the mayor ordered all the saloons closed to calm things down. Hundreds of people who had never heard of him in this way came to learn of him and hate him at once. That evening a mob of between 300 and 400 people broke into the city hall, and marched Prager out to Mauer Heights on the St. Louis Road and hung him from a tree.

This act caused a sensation and was widely reported. Here are some contemporary newspaper reports:

http://web.viu.ca/davies/H324War/Prager.lynching.1918.htm

I had never heard of this incident, but ran across it by accident looking around the web for Ponsonby's book on WWI propaganda. The strange thing is that the street we just moved onto is known as the Mauer Heights neighborhood. So he was hung on the corner one block from where I am sitting to type this. I would say that the tree was long ago cut down.

Comments

[benicek.livejournal.com]

Grim stuff.

I can't think of anything witty to say about this.