Dale C. Maley: Young woman saved from life of servitude
In 1879, Fairbury was rocked by a scandal that almost resulted in the lynching of a dastardly criminal. This story began with the birth of Annie Manning in 1861 in Wapella, Illinois, 25 miles south of Bloomington. Annie was the daughter of Edward Manning and Bridget Mumon.
In 1879, 18-year-old Annie Manning received a letter from her cousin, Mollie Stewart. Mollie told Annie that she could have a job in a Fairbury hotel waiting on tables for $3 a week. Annie wrote back to Mollie that she was coming to Fairbury to take the job.
States Attorney Murdock in Pontiac then received information that a chaste young woman had been decoyed to the brothel of Leonard Gardner in Fairbury. Furthermore, she was being detained against her will to force her into prostitution.
Mr. Murdock dispatched Z.T. Hanna and D.A. Fraley to Gardner's house to ascertain the facts. His house was northwest of Fairbury, just outside city limits. At first, Mr. Gardner refused to allow the two men to question the young lady. They then applied some trickery and were able to get an interview with the young lady. She gave her name as Annie Manning from Wapella in DeWitt County. She was very frightened and sad about her situation. Annie recounted how her cousin Mollie Stewart had told her about the Fairbury job offer for $3 per week.
Not knowing that her cousin had gone to the everlasting bad, she traveled to Fairbury to take the job. Annie Manning was met at the Fairbury train depot by Mr. Gardner and Mollie Stewart. He forced Annie Manning to travel to his house, where she discovered it was a house of prostitution.
Annie further reported that she was being held against her will. Mr. Gardner had threatened her and tried to force her into prostitution. Annie wanted to leave the house but was afraid for her life.
Fraley and Hanna then returned to town, and a State's Warrant for Leonard Gardner and Mollie Stewart was sworn out by E.T. Hanna, the Fairbury Constable. All three men went to the Gardner house at 11 p.m. to make the arrests. When they informed Mr. Gardner that he was being arrested, he swore that he would not be taken into custody. Mr. Gardner ran up the stairs and stopped when he reached the top step. He then drew a pistol and swore he would kill Hanna if he attempted to arrest him.
Mr. Gardner did not know that Fairbury Marshal John Allum was already in his home and upstairs. When Marshal Allum presented a cocked pistol into the face of Mr. Gardner, he surrendered and gave his gun to Allum. Hanna then arrested Mr. Gardner.
After some considerable "palavering," Gardner gave his gold watch and chain as security for his appearance in the court of Squire Hanna on Monday morning. Miss Manning was escorted to the home of Marshal Allum at his Third Street residence. She remained there until she went home the following Tuesday with her father.
The court officers made one mistake when they arrested Leonard Gardner and Mollie Stewart. They forgot to remove the trunk of Annie Manning from the brothel. The trunk had been broken into when it was later retrieved, and incriminating letters she had written had been removed.
Deep anger was expressed by all classes of Fairbury residents when they learned of the dastardly and vicious attempt to ruin an innocent girl. Several residents suggested that only "Judge Lynch" should remove this vile man from the community.
Both Leonard Gardner and Mollie Stewart were found guilty of kidnapping Miss Annie Manning for the purposes of prostitution and sentenced to 18 months in Joliet prison.
The Pantagraph recounted that Leonard Gardner kept a house of ill-fame in Bloomington several years before in the rear of Gilman's drug store. The Pantagraph called him "a dirty villain."
The wife of Mr. Gardner then requested a divorce. She reported that he had given himself up to the use of intoxicating liquors and was habitually drunk for two years. Mrs. Gardner alleged that her husband was quarrelsome and used abusive language toward her. She also reported that on February 1, 1879, he attempted to take her life with a loaded revolver. The court granted her a divorce.
After serving his time at Joliet prison, Leonard H. Gardner married Miss Clara Simons at Nathan's boarding house in Bloomington in April 1884. After just 16 months of marriage, Mr. Gardner was arrested and thrown in Springfield jail for beating his wife. Officers W.J. Camp and Frank Gall made the arrest.
When Mr. Gardner was bailed out of jail, he declared he would kill the men who jailed him. Mr. Gardner procured two 44-caliber revolvers and told friends he did not think the officers would arrest him now.
Mr. Gardner then hid in a hallway on East Washington Street in Springfield and waited for the two officers to go by him on their patrol. Mr. Gardner shot both of the officers. Officer Camp returned fire and killed Mr. Gardner. Officer Camp died immediately, and Officer Gall died a few days later from his injuries. Thousands of people attended the funeral of the two slain officers.
Annie Manning went on to live an ordinary life. She first married George Cheesmond. When he died in 1918, Annie then married William Leroux. She died in 1934 in Michigan.
The only other trace of Mollie Stewart was an 1864 Springfield newspaper story where Lucinda Taylor was arrested and fined $20 for keeping a house of ill-fame. Molly Stewart, Frank Burrill, Fanny Sticknoy, and Carrie Deans were arrested and fined $10 for being inmates of a house of ill-fame. No family genealogical connection could be established between Mollie Stewart and Annie Manning.
Given the fact that Leonard Gardner later murdered two Springfield police officers in 1885, the four Fairbury men who arrested him in 1879 were lucky they did not become involved in a gunfight with him.
This article originally appeared on Pontiac Daily Leader: Dale C. Maley column: Young woman saved from life of servitude
