It was an evening and night of violence in Danville, Illinois on July 25,1903. That Saturday was a dark date in the history of the city on the Vermilion River. One man was lynched in the city that day, and Sheriff Hardy Whitlock prevented the lynching of a second Black man.
The following article was printed in the Sedalia Weekly Conservator on September 11th, of that year. The African American newspaper was published in Sedalia, Missouri. Insert Article and Whitlock Photo
Mob violence ruled the city of Danville for a time on July 25, 1903. It was ignited following a fight between John Metcalf and Henry Gatterman on East Main Street. Gatterman was killed when Metcalf pulled out a gun and shot him during the struggle. Metcalf was arrested and a horse drawn paddy wagon was summoned to transport him to the lock up in the city building on North Walnut Street. Police officers William Leverenz and William Foeher had to strike a number of men with blows with their night sticks when the men tried to take Metcalf away from them.
A growing number of people followed the horse drawn paddy wagon to the city building on that hot, humid summer evening. There were soon a few hundred on hand in front of city hall demanding the release of the prisoner. A thin line of badly out numbered police attempted to hold the line against what was swiftly becoming a mob. Then, in a rush, rioters breached the line and the officers were thrown to the ground. The door to the city building was shattered and the mob broke into Metcalf’s cell and removed him from the jail.
He was beaten to death and then his body was dragged to a utility pole near where the fight had taken place earlier. It was then hoisted with a rope to a cross arm. The mob now filled the streets and many of the men present were fueled by liquor from the numerous saloons in downtown Danville. It was Saturday night and Danville was filled with people. There was a special “Indian Show” taking place on the city square, but it was forgotten as members of the mob debated what to do next with the body of the man they had murdered.
It was then someone remembered Jim Wilson was a prisoner in the county jail on South Vermilion Street. Wilson had been arrested following a home invasion in the village of Alvin. Metcalf was lowered to the ground and his body was pulled through the streets to the jail. Wilson was the second Black man the rioters planned to lynch.
Sheriff Hardy Whitlock and a few other lawmen were in the jail. The Sheriff’s family also lived there and were present on that evening. The small band of lawmen were soon faced by a mob reportedly numbering in the thousands. Winfield Baker, a spokesman for the lawless rioters, approached the jail and told Constable Enoch VanVickle he wanted the keys to the building. He warned the officer if the Sheriff did not comply, the jail would be taken and no quarter would be given to any prisoners or defenders. Baker would later be arrested and sentenced to prison for his actions at the county jail.
Whitlock met Baker and informed him no one would be admitted to the jail and he warned him, and those close enough to hear over the sound of the mob, he would use his shotgun to defend the jail. This drew a large shout from the rioters and they taunted the Sheriff to shoot.
When Whitlock went back inside the jail, a few shots were fired at it by members of the mob. A number of men then found a railroad tie and used it to batter the south door of the jail. Once again Whitlock stepped out and urged the men to stop their lawless actions. The men hesitated a few minutes, but after the Sheriff returned to the jail, they picked up the tie and shattered a section of the door. When this happened deputy David Newlin stepped in front of them and fired a pistol shot over their heads. Whitlock also stepped to the porch and fired two shots over the heads of the rioters with his shotgun.
There were a few minutes of indecision and then a voice urged the attackers to continue their assault. An iron rail was picked up by an estimated 50 men and once again they planned to breach the south door of the jail. They were surprised when Sheriff Whitlock stepped out again. One blast from his shotgun felled the man urging the rioters on, then he fired down the rail the men were holding. Buckshot found hands and bodies and the rail was dropped. Men retreated and others were carried away, but it still wasn’t over.
After a brief pause, the rail was picked up by a second group of law breakers, and the front door of the jail was the next target. As the men approached the jail, the mob cheered. Then the door was jerked open and a sweat stained Sheriff Whitlock stepped out with his shotgun. Isaac Slade, who would later be one of those arrested for his part in the riot, was in the forefront of rioters. He noted the look on the Sheriff’s face, “Scared the hell out of us.”
Their fear was well-placed. Once again Whitlock fired shots down the rail with the same results as his actions had the first time. Then it was over. The lawmen came out of the jail, the wounded were taken away, and the mob disbursed. Order was restored and troops soon arrived in the city to assist in maintaining peace. In the days following the riot, a number of men and one woman were arrested and prosecuted for their actions that night.
It was a time in America when a lynching was not news but the defense of a Black prisoner by a sheriff was national news. It was reported Danville, Illinois, was the first place a sheriff had defended a Black man from a mob. Among numerous telegrams Sheriff Whitlock received lauding him for his bravery was one from President Theodore Roosevelt.
The correspondent for the Sedalia Conservator observed, all people deserve “the benefit of justice.” For a large number of Americans, that would be a long time coming in 1903. But on one explosive night that year, Sheriff Hardy Whitlock stood up for Lady Justice.