Robert Paul Prager was a 29 year old coal miner in southern Illinois when he was taken by a mob and lynched on April 5, 1918. He was thought to have uttered anti-American slogans, and the locals thought he may be a German spy. His final request before being hanged was to be wrapped in a United States flag when buried. His wish was granted. This Swiss consulate in St. Louis covered his burial expenses. His killers were acquitted of murder. He was the first German national lynched in America during World War One.
Robert Paul Prager was a 29 year old coal miner in southern Illinois when he was taken by a mob and lynched on April 5, 1918. He was thought to have uttered anti-American slogans, and the locals thought he may be a German spy. His final request before being hanged was to be wrapped in a United States flag when buried. His wish was granted. This Swiss consulate in St. Louis covered his burial expenses. His killers were acquitted of murder. He was the first German national lynched in America during World War One.
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