Victim: William Watkins
Perpetrators: [Lynch Mob]
Date of Incident: 1886-08-19
Location of Incident: Center Township (Dearborn County)
On August 19, 1886, a drunken William Watkins stabbed his construction site supervisor, Louis Hilbert, when told to leave the site. These events unfolded in the midst of a huge crowd gathering for The Aurora Fair, and within minutes an angry mob had overpowered the two police officers who were attempting to transport William to jail, ripped him from the buggy, and tied a rope around his neck.
William was dragged and kicked by the mob as they traveled through Aurora’s downtown area, finally reaching the coal yard at the Aurora Distilling Company. The mob created a makeshift gallows by tying the other end of the rope to the scaffold over an old well, and there William’s lifeless body hung until it was cut down and taken to the coroner’s office.
This case, which directly followed the events of Hilbert | Watkins, is described in the book Haunted Dearborn County, Indiana by Mary Ellen Quigley and Rebecca D. Wilhelm. [Purchase on Amazon]
Sources
The Lawrenceburg Register (1886, August 26). Reward for lynchers. The Lawrenceburg Register, 2.
The Lawrenceburg Register (1886, August 26). Swift retribution. The Lawrenceburg Register, 3.
The Lawrenceburg Register (1887, March 10). Damages wanted. The Lawrenceburg Register, 3.
The Aurora Journal (1889, May 30). [Untitled]. The Aurora Journal, 3.