William Royce
William Royce was held in the Vermillion County jail at Danville, Illinois, when a mob broke in during the early hours of May 1895. Accounts say Sheriff Thompson and his deputy tried to hold the door and urged the crowd to disperse, but the mob forced its way in, took Royce from his cell and hanged him from a bridge near the Vermillion River. One account says Royce asked to see his father before he was killed, and that the procession paused for a time while he waited. Papers differ on the date, with reports placing the hanging on May 25 or May 26, 1895, and on whether the sheriff gave up the keys or was overpowered.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. Newspaper reports say a mob broke into the Vermillion County jail, took Royce from his cell and hanged him, while the sheriff and his deputy tried to hold the door.
Reported by: The Pantagraph's Danville, Ills., special (reporters).