White Hall Register, White Hall, Illinois, Saturday, April 23, 1870

At about 1 P.M. last Saturday our people were thrilled by the announcement that Mr. Avery Ballard residing about a mile from the business part of town, had just been knocked in the head and killed in his own back yard.

The wildest excitement immediately prevailed, and dozens of citizens were preparing to start in search of the murderer, when the news came that he had been caught, and in a moment or two he was seen in custody of Deputy Sheriff Davis, on his way to the calaboose, where he was confined out of the immediate reach of those who in the in the first heat of their indignation would have lynched him at once.

The perpetrator of the terrible deed was first seen in this vicinity on the evening previously, when he was asking work of farmers in the vicinity of town, and inquiring the way to White Hall. He arrived here on that evening and stopped at the White Hall House, represented himself as out of money, but going out in the evening came back with fifty cents to pay for his lodging.

The same evening he was in at James Israel's store and wanted a change of clothes, saying that if he wore those he then had on he "would be sh__sure," and then cut the buttons from his coat. Early Saturday forenoon he entered Nelson and Brooks' store and asked Mr. Brooks for some "crackers and cheese", telling him that he was out of money, and had had no breakfast. Mr. B. gave him the desired after eating which the man left. Sometime afterward he returned. There were a number of gentlemen present at this time, among them Mr. Avery Ballard, the man ask them for work, saying he had been promised a job at the brickyard, but it would be some time before they would be ready for him up there, and he wanted something to live on in the meantime.

Mr. Ballard finally agreed to give him a dollar a day and his board for a few days, to do some chopping for him, and they started off to Mr. B's house together.

It appears that after dinner Mr. Ballard and the man went out to the yard to commence work, and there shortly afterward the old man was found dead, his skull beaten in with the back of the axe, and the hired man was gone. The department of the latter was seen by two men coming along the road and these were the first to discover the dead body.

After doing the awful deed the homicide came to town, mounted on a horse which had been hitched to a fence near by the scene of the tragedy. He left the horse somewhere in town, went to the White Hall House, and entered the following, word for word and letter and letter, on the register, "Wm. F. Davis, Christian Co. Ill. formerly from Logan Co, Ohio got revenge don't rub this out till published." He then went up to the bank, where everybody was excited by news of the killing and said to Mr. Thomas Dodsworth, in substance, " They needn't hunt for the man that killed Ballard. I'm the man they are looking for." To Mr. D's questions, Why did you do it?" he answered "for revenge". Afterwords in response to similar questions, he would give no other reply than "I know my own mind". While the culprit lay in the calaboose, propositions to lynch him were freely made and found ready acceptance. But the firm front of the town officials, headed by Constable Shipman, and the strength of the calaboose prevented the making of any attempt at this time. A number of citizens were appointed special constables, and with them as escort, the prisoner was at about 3 o'clock taken to the train for transportation to the county jail. A large crowd followed and at the train a vigorous attempt to capture the prisoner was made, which however failed, and he was safely fastened in the caboose car and guard placed at each door. From this time up to the departure of the train there was a succession of efforts at rescue, all of which, by the use of some little force and a good deal of expostulation on the part of the guards and the anti-lynching citizens, proved abortive. About half or three quarters of a mile down the track, some person more zealous than wise, placed some heavy planks across the rails. These were discovered and removed in time to avert disaster, and without other hindrance the prisoner was taken to Carrollton and put in jail, where he now remains.

It is a matter for sincere congratulation on the part of every good citizen of White Hall that Davis, however guilty, was not summarily hung by a mob. While saying this, we are fully aware that the course of "justice" in the country, during the past year in cases of homicide, this being the fourth within that time, has been such as would greatly palliate, if not justify a resort to lynch law, and we know that some of our best citizens were in favor of that resort in this instance.

Was Davis insane?

That question to which there are two sides, and either of them has strong adherents. The killing was without apparent motive. It was not done for money, for the pocket book of the deceased was untouched. It was not in the heat of passion, for there was no quarrel. I could hardly have been revenge, for Davis and Ballard appear to have been strangers until Saturday morning. It could not have been accidental: everything negatives that idea. Unless time shall disclose the existence of some motive, Davis must have either been insane, or else a murderer from mere inborn and bred fiendishness. The extraordinary conduct of the man already recited, before and after the killing, would seem to indicate insanity. Though these symptoms may have been feigned for a purpose we were unformed by Constable Shipman, that during the march to the depot, when probably two hundred men, thirsty for the blood of the man slayer, were whooping in his track, and danger of his capture was immediate, he was as indifferent as possible and coolly ask for a chew of tobacco. His demeanor on board the train at Carrollton was similar. Some person who saw the prisoner at Carrollton on his way to jail thought he recognized him as a former lunatic who had been in an Ohio asylum. We are told, ____ ever, that a subsequent inspection convinced this person of his mistake.

The murdered man,

-- Mr. Avery Ballard-- one of our oldest citizens, having been a resident for some 40 years. He was born in Tenn., we believe ________ and was about 65 years of age. a quiet inoffensive, kind hearted old man, a good neighbor and the best of citizens, his death in this horrible manner sent a thrill of horror through the hearts of our people. His almost heartbroken widow and sorrowing children have the deepest sympathy of the public. The great, irreparable loss is theirs. The great irreparable wrong has been done to them. But as our people are sharers in the loss, so do they suffer by the wrong, and, so suffering, they have the right to demand that Wm F. Davis be tried for murder, not farcically; that he be not presumed insane, but that, unless his insanity be reasonable proven, he be convicted of murder, and hung for murder.

A GOOD OFFICER -- Fritz Shipman, town constable, is entitled to the hearty thanks of the community for the cool, gallant and faithful discharge of his unpleasant duties on Saturday last. Placed in his position a rash man would have precipitated a riot, which could not have failed result badly for our good name as a town, and perhaps fatally for the lives of some of our people. In the same position a cowardly man would have had his prisoner sacrificed to mob law, with the same resulting injury to our good name. Fritz was neither rash or cowardly, but steady and brave. And so, without the use of undue violence, public order was preserved and the dignity of law maintained. Bully for Shipman.

**********************************

The Carrollton Gazette, Carrollton, Illinois, April 23, 1870

"Eternal vigilance is the price of Liberty," as all agree, but it used to be that when an offender was committed to jail that there the matter ended. But since the killing of Ballard, by Davis and his lodgment in jail, our community has been once or twice panic stricken at reports that Whitehall was organizing to rescue the prisoner and hang him. A formidable guard was organized Wednesday and Thursday by Sheriff Vedder, and the hall highly illuminated for the reception of the visitors. Also a delegation was sent north to Apple Creek Bridge, as an outward picket, while another delegation was sent to Whitehall, to look around. After these arrangements were all made, we went home and went to sleep, from which we awoke at a late hour the next morning. I seemed that the jail guard had slept peaceably on their arms, and that the Bell Town picket got in without the firing of a gun. But to the squad sent to Whitehall, the principal interest was attached since, on reaching that quiet village and finding everything orderly, and a ball going on, they went into Union Hall, and danced all night till broad day-light and came home on the cars in the morning. All is still quiet on the Potomac!

**********************************

Our readers will remember the intense excitement that prevailed in Greene County a few weeks ago, when it was known that Avery Ballard, a worthy citizen of Whitehall, had been brutally killed by Davis, and mobbing was not only freely talked of but actually undertaken. The only mitigation that could be pleased in this case is and has been that the fellow was crazy. Since he has been incarcerated he had repeatedly attempted self destruction, by stabbing, starving and other means and final on Tuesday, though it was hardly known from what immediate cause it resulted, Davis breathed his last, and was decently buried at the county expense. However exasperated the public sentiment may have been at the time, certainly now that the culprit has paid the last debt, nothing but pity can be felt for his bloody deed or hapless fate, and besides, we presume it is no linger doubtful that he was a sad subject of an unaccountable aberration of mind, and that would have been impossible even to have convicted him had he lived. Only the day before his death, son of Mr. Ballard's family were down so see if they could call to mind ever having seen Davis before.

***********************************

Returning to White Hall as our subject, and yet speaking of episodes of early days, we will recall the murder of Avery Ballard, which occurred April 16, 1870, in the yard near the house owned by Mrs. Olivia Coates on West Bridgeport Street.

This was on of the most brutal crimes in the history of White Hall. A stranger, giving his name as William F. Davis, engaged board for a few days at the Ballard home and on the day of the murder he and Mr. Ballard were at the wood-pile, when, at an unexpected moment, Davis struck Ballard with an ax, crushing his scull.

Davis immediately came up town and went to the White Hall House, where he registered as "William F. Smith, of Christian county, Ill. formerly of Logan county, Ohio. Got Revenge. Don't rub this out till published."

The news of the murder quickly spread and excitement was at a fever heat. In a short time, Davis, after watching the excitement movements of the people, stepped up to Thomas Dodsworth and stated that he was the man who killed Ballard, and that he did it for revenge. He was quickly taken to the calaboose by Deputy Sheriff Thomas Davis and it was with greatly difficulty that the officers prevented a lynching. Fearing mob violence, Sheriff Davis, D. F. Shipman and T. P. Hacknew hurried the prisoner to the depot amid a howling mob, where he was placed in the caboose of a freight train and taken to Carrollton. An exciting scene was enacted as the crowd reached the railroad. In the attempt by the mob to get Davis from the officers, a skirmish took place in which Hacknew's revolver was taken from him, his hands and wrists being considerably disfigured in the mix-up. After a futile attempt to uncouple the caboose from the train, the engineer pulled out, and Davis was soon landed in the Carrollton jail, where he cheated the gallows by deliberately starving himself to death.

Submitted by: Don Havlin