Site of Tree Used to Lynch Robert Prager
Posted by: 
pstehman
N 38° 39.557 E 090° 00.692
46S E 239961 N 4283206
Site of hackberry tree used to lynch Robert Prager on April 5, 1918. Tree was removed in 1962. Location of tree believed to be approximately where St. John Cemetery sign is now located near intersection of St. Louis Road and National Terrace.
Waymark Code: WMXRA3
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 02/18/2018
Views: 1
The only German immigrant lynched by a mob in the United States during World War I was Robert Prager, who was killed in Collinsville, Illinois, on April 5, 1918.
There was widespread anti-German hysteria in the U.S. during the Great War. In Collinsville a mob comprised mostly of coal miners marched and harassed Prager in a "patriotic parade" before police took him into custody on April 4. The miners said they believed Prager was a German spy and a socialist, but neither accusation could be proven. The mob later took Prager from the Police Station without being stopped by the police and marched him to an area west of the city limits on St. Louis Road. The mob of about 100 originally intended to tar and feather Prager, but could not find tar. One of the men in the mob did find a rope, however. Prager, 30, was allowed to write a note to his family in Dresden, Germany. Translated, it read:
Dear Parents!
I must this day 4-4-18 die. Please pray for us, my dear parents. That is my last letter or sign of life of mine.
Your dear son and brother,
Robert Paul
Prager was hung from a branch of a hackberry tree just after midnight on April 5. The tree was taken down in 1962 and the area is now marked by the sign of St. John Cemetery.
Twelve men were charged with the crime. Eleven of the men were acquitted in a trial in Madison County which ended on June 1, 1918. The twelfth man was never located prior to charges being dismissed. There was widespread criticism of both the lynching and the trial verdict, as few witnesses would come forward to speak against the accused and defense attorneys made every attempt to impugn Prager's patriotism.
The Prager lynching is the subject of Peter Stehman's upcoming book, Patriotic Murder: A World War I Hate Crime for Uncle Sam, scheduled for release in Fall, 2018 by Potomac Books.
Date of crime: 04/05/1918
Public access allowed: yes
Fee required: no
Web site: Not listed
|
Visit Instructions:
To post a visit log for waymarks in this category, you must have personally visited the waymark location. When logging your visit, please provide a note describing your visit experience, along with any additional information about the waymark or the surrounding area that you think others may find interesting.
We especially encourage you to include any pictures that you took during your visit to the waymark.
Recent Visits/Logs:
| There are no logs for this waymark yet. |
|
|
|