Prairie Prisons

Mar 1
11 min read

FIG 1: 1858 Bowman Map of Urbana

by Hannah Hedrick

In the early days of Champaign County, when the prairie stretched on and on for miles with few people in between, there wasn’t much formally established in terms of law enforcement.

According to local tradition, the first documented murder in the region, before the county was even a county, was of an unknown horse thief. Having stolen the horse in Indiana, the outlaw fled westward with a band of regulators chasing close behind. The thief paused to rest at a point known as “tow head”, about a mile north of the village of Philo. Finding him asleep, the group shot him through the head, leaving his unburied body to rot. There the thief stayed, his bleached skeleton acting as a morbid welcome to the early settlers who passed by the grove. (1)

Even as the region that would be Champaign slowly grew, there wouldn’t be a jail for some time. In the interim, unorthodox methods were sometimes employed to detain criminals. The History of Champaign County, Illinois, outlines the unusual way one horse thief (a different one this time; horse theft was a popular crime in that era) was kept secured as he awaited a trial:

“His hands were tied behind him, and his feet were fastened together; a small sapling was then bent down and fastened to his feet, which, being left free, were raised the length of his legs from the ground, in which position he was about as secure as if behind modern bolts and bars.” (2)

FIG 2: Urbana Log Jail Built in 1836.

Photo courtesy of the Champaign County History Museum Archives

In 1836, a few years after the county’s formation, its first jail was constructed. It was built in Urbana by Colonel M. W. Busey for $850. The structure was typical for its time, a rough log dwelling about 20 feet by 20 feet and two stories high. A staircase was built outside the building to reach the second story. From there, prisoners would be lowered to the first floor via a trapdoor. (3) The seriousness of the crime dictated which floor a prisoner would stay on, with those accused of minor charges kept upstairs while those whose “offenses were rank and smelled to heaven” were kept down below. (4) The jail had no source of heating, with small barred windows acting as the only source of light. A crude, simple structure, the jail was considered as secure as it could be, given the available materials. Nevertheless, it “proved a slight obstacle to those inclined to wander”. (5)

One individual who possessed that inclination to wander was William Weaver, the first person to be tried and convicted of murder in the county for the death of David Hiltibran. Described as “a miserable, drunken, reckless wretch”, he was generally known as a desperate character, with many tales of his mischief. (6)

Weaver had a favorite game where he would try and see how close he could shoot near a friend without hitting him. In one instance, during the summer of 1844, he aimed at his father, who was napping under a tree. He narrowly missed him, sending a bullet whizzing through his hair, supposedly singeing off a lock. (7) Another story tells of when Weaver pointed a loaded shotgun at a man’s abdomen for no apparent reason, threatening to “blow his internal arrangements entirely out” if he so much as moved. (8)

In general, when alcohol and a shotgun were involved, Weaver was a menace to anyone and everyone around. On one occasion, Weaver walked into a blacksmith’s shop drunk and with his gun slung over his shoulder. He ordered the blacksmith to put all his tools in the fire, threatening to shoot if he didn’t comply. After the smith did so, Weaver made him blow the bellows until all his tools were melted together into a useless lump. (9)

As for the murder of David Hiltibran, the exact circumstances that led to his death in 1844 are somewhat unclear. One account published in the Champaign County Gazette claimed that Hiltibran had “trifling difficulty” with Weaver, and the two met up to square accounts. At that fateful meeting, Weaver shot Hiltibran before proceeding to beat him repeatedly with his gun until it was smashed to pieces. (10) A different story appeared in The Gazette, where it described Hiltibran and Weaver as warm friends up until the murder. That day, the pair had gone out drinking and were heading back to Weaver’s house. According to Hiltibran’s daughter, who had been accompanying them, Hiltibran paused for a moment and got off his horse. Then, without a clear reason, Weaver shot and killed him. (11) Other records that appear in local newspapers and encyclopedias confirm that Weaver had murdered Hiltibran with no motive “...except the fiendish recklessness that often attends men who have become besotted”. (12)

FIG 3: “Horrible Murder”; Article from the Illinois State Register, October 8, 1844

Photo taken from IDNC

Immediately after the murder, Weaver fled to Missouri, though he was shortly caught and dragged back to Urbana until his trial. (13) The court appointed A. Gridley, along with Abraham Lincoln himself, to defend Weaver, but he was too obviously at fault for there to be any other verdict but guilty. As it was, he was sentenced to hang on June 27, 1845. (14)

While this may have been the end of the story for anyone else, Weaver was not just anybody. Once he was locked up within the cramped log jail, he devised multiple escape plans. His first was to declare himself religious and convert to the Baptist Faith. On the day of his baptism, he was taken out of the jail to the old mill pond, where he hoped to take advantage of the occasion and make a break for it. When the time came, seeing as he was escorted by a large number of rifle-armed settlers, Weaver thought better. (15)

He would finally get his chance with the help of an anonymous friend, who slipped him a tool through the cracks of the log jail. By this point, the wood in the lower part of the jail had become rotten, and Weaver was able to use the tool to enlarge the weakened spot. Once large enough, he burrowed out of the jail “like a rat”. (16) Now free, he fled to Wisconsin, where he was never recaptured.

To the local community, this escape seemed less of a disaster and more of a disappointment. According to the Champaign County Gazette, hundreds of people had flocked to Urbana by foot, horse, and wagon to watch the execution; “It was to be a grand and gala day, a regular celebration, in fact, and good cheer and good whisky flowed freely”.(17) Of course, when it was discovered that Weaver had escaped and there were to be no public hangings, it was a letdown to all. The crowd had to settle for gawking at the jail from which Weaver had made his break. The county sheriff, Wilson Lewis, appeared to have been particularly distraught at the situation, since he had attended to Weaver while sick and even given him pie. Further, Weaver had promised Lewis that he would not run away. (18)

In Wisconsin, Weaver started a new life, changing his name, settling down, and sobering up. To all who heard of him after, he had become a “useful, law-abiding citizen”, highly respected and loved by all his neighbors. (19) Perhaps the near-death experience had inspired a drastic change of heart.

Besides Weaver, in 1855, a man charged with stealing money escaped the jail in a strikingly similar manner using a saw a friend had slipped to him. (20) In the fall of that same year, another pair of criminals successfully made their break. By that point, it was clear the jail was failing to do its job and all but falling apart. As the Urbana Union said, “It might answer for the imprisonment of infants, or of men who are badly crippled, but will not do for the detention of rascals”. (21) Subsequently, the county decided to replace the log structure with something more sturdy.

Though still simplistic in design, the new jail opened in 1856 represented an immense improvement. This time, the building was built out of brick and iron, costing $7,000. It was roughly the same size as the previous one, about 28 by 27 feet, and included a jailor’s residence. (22)

FIG. 4: The Second Jail in Urbana, Erected in 1856

Photo courtesy of Champaign County Historical Archive

Up until that point in the 19th century, jails served a much different purpose than they do in the modern day. The US justice system as a whole was not as formalized, leaving the administration of jails largely up to local communities. Further, imprisonment itself wasn’t used as a form of punishment. Individuals were usually only detained as long as it took for there to be a trial and a verdict. For minor crimes, punishments often consisted of a form of public humiliation or corporal punishment, while more serious crimes were met with the death sentence. (23) All in all, this meant that jails at this time were only as sophisticated as they had to be, especially on the frontier, with little concern reserved for the comfort of prisoners.

Nonetheless, as the United States marched toward the turn of the century, its attitude towards prisons slowly shifted. Even as issues of overcrowding, brutality, and poor sanitation were commonplace, there was a growing focus on reformation. For instance, state legislatures began to conduct investigations into the conditions of penitentiaries and mental hospitals. (24) Increasingly, jails were seen as places where criminals could be rehabilitated, with more emphasis placed on the well-being of the individual within an institution.

FIG. 5: Bird’s eye view of Urbana in 1869, Jail is No. 2.

Champaign County was no exception, and as time progressed, there were rising concerns over the condition of the county’s jail. By the early 1900s, it was clear the nearly 50-year-old structure was not holding up well to the test of time. In an address to the board of supervisors, a local reverend described the dire situation: “In this jail I have seen human beings confined in iron cages, like wild beasts, stretching their forms against the bars…It is beneath the dignity of our civilization to make human beings live in such a place”. (25)

Besides the questionable treatment of its prisoners, there was also public anxiety over the security of the jail. Unlike with the first jail, however, worries were not over keeping people in, but rather keeping them out. In July of 1903, the nearby city of Danville had broken out into a race riot, as a mob of 600 people sought to lynch a black man who had been recently arrested. Along the way to the jail, a fight broke out that led to the death of a rioter and the lynching of another black man, as well as the assault of other black residents. Ultimately, the rioters had failed to overcome the police stationed at the jail, and the Illinois National Guard managed to restore order the following day. (26) Still, the event raised doubts among Champaign residents over whether their jail could have withstood such a violent mob. Facing public pressure to have a jail that could be defended, the board of supervisors convened that year to take the first steps in constructing a new jail, which would be completed two years later. (27)

FIG. 6: Champaign County’s New Residence and Jail, 1905

Photo taken from IDNC

With a $42,000 price tag, Champaign’s third jail cost six times more than the previous one. The building itself was designed in the Romanesque style by local architect Joseph William Royer. Royer, a University of Illinois alum, was notable for completing other important projects in Champaign, including the Courthouse, Urbana High School, and the Lincoln Hotel (now Hotel Royer). (28)

Made out of brick, stone, and terra cotta, the jail was two stories tall with three porches and a sheriff’s residence located next to the Champaign County Courthouse at 201 E. Main Street. A vast improvement to its predecessor, the jail featured all the elements modern life had to offer, with heating, lighting, and plumbing. The building was also considered significantly more secure, with five locks and bars standing between its inmates and escape. The jail offered much more space, with 26 cells in all. Certain cells were now designated for different purposes, with a padded cell for the insane, a debtor’s cell, women’s cells, and boys’ cells. (29) After the jail opened in March of 1905, local newspapers boasted of its modernity, certain that its upgraded living conditions would contribute to the improvement of its inmates and betterment of the community. (30)

FIG.7: Champaign County’s New Residence and Jail, 1905

Flashing forward to the 1970s, incarceration rates were beginning to rise dramatically, much higher than they had ever been before. Multiple factors contributed to this phenomenon, including the introduction of modern legal standards throughout the previous decades, as well as a much tougher attitude towards law enforcement. Throughout the nation, attitudes towards prisons had subtly switched from a rehabilitative outlook to one that was more punitive and strict. More individuals were being incarcerated and then being kept in prison for extended durations. (31)

In Champaign, a 1970 investigation found that the jail was increasingly being used for long-term detentions instead of the short-term holdings it was designed for. (32) A different report, completed a few years later, gave the jail poor grades across the board; it was noisy, had poor lighting, poor plumbing, poor food, poor ventilation, and poor temperature control, on top of being severely overcrowded. (33)

FIG. 8: Champaign County Corrections Center, 1980.

Photo by Julie Houha, taken from IDNC.

The 1905 jail would remain in use until 1980, when the county was all but forced to build a new facility, and the Champaign County Corrections Center opened across the street. This jail boasted strong technological advancements on top of improved living conditions, with a TV surveillance system and cell-lock system operated by one master panel. (34) Still, it was almost immediately overcrowded. With a 72-person capacity, it housed 71 inmates on its very first day. (35) The following years would be marked by chronic overcrowding and subsequent expansions to combat the problem. In 1996, the Satellite Jail would open, and eventually, the county’s inmates would all be transferred there after the downtown jail closed its doors for good in 2022. (36)

FIG. 9: Champaign County Satellite Jail

Photo courtesy of Illinois Public Media

From its wild settler days to the present, Champaign County has transformed, and so have its jails. The current expansion of the Champaign County jail reflects not only the needs of a growing population but also the ongoing effort to modernize and improve conditions.

Bibliography

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