IN 1906 FRANKLIN COUNCIL'S NEW JAIL WOULD REMAIN IN BUSINESS AND REMAIN IN USE THE NEXT 84
YEARS.
BUT SAVE THE OLD FACILITY FROM
THE WRECKING BALL, WAS THE
INFAMOUS OCCUPANT OF THIS CELL.
>> I AM JIM WILHELM.
TODAY THIS BUILDING LOCATED IN
BENTON HAS BECOME HOME TO THE
COUNTY MUSEUM.
WHILE IT TELLS A STORY OF THIS
AREA'S MOST FAMOUS CITIZENS,
MOST PEOPLE ARE ATTRACTED BY
TALES OF A GANGSTER AND THE OLD
JAIL.
TYPICAL OF HIS TIME, THE FRONT
PORTION WAS THE SHERIFF'S HOME
WHO LIVED HERE DURING HIS TERM
IN OFFICE.
HIS WIFE WAS EXPECTED TO PREPARE
THE INMATES' MEALS.
IN THE BACK OF THE KITCHEN IS A
SET OF BARS UNDER WHICH THE
PLATES OF FOOD WERE PASSED.
TRUSTEES WOULD THEN TAKE THE
MEALS BACK TO THE PRISONERS IN
THEIR CELLS, AND WERE TOLD
DEPENDING HOW MANY PEOPLE WERE
INCARCERATED, THE SHERIFF'S WIFE
COULD ACTUALLY MAKE MORE MONEY
THAN THE SHERIFF.
IN THE BACK ARE TWO FLOORS OF
IDENTICAL CELLS, EACH MEASURING
EIGHT FEET SQUARE.
THERE WAS NO PRIVACY.
THE ROWS FACED EACH OTHER, AND
THERE WAS NO SOLID BACK.
NOTICE THERE WERE NO LOCKS ON
THE DOORS.
THEY WERE OPERATED BY SERIES OF
LEVERS IN THE FRONT OF THE CELL
BLOCK.
THE MAXIMUM STAY HERE WAS 364
DAYS.
THAT'S BECAUSE STATE LAW
PROHIBITED A STAY OF LONGER THAN
ONE YEAR IN A COUNTY FACILITY.
SO JUDGES GOT AROUND THAT BY
ISSUING CONSECUTIVE 364'S, SO
THE PRISONER WOULD BE RELEASED
FOR ONE DAY AND BROUGHT BACK TO
SERVE THE NEXT SENTENCE.
MOST OF THE CRIMES PUNISHED HERE
WERE FOR THINGS LIKE THEFT,
FIGHTING, AND COMMON
DRUNKENNESS.
BUT IN 1927, NATIONAL ATTENTION
FOCUSED ON THIS JAIL WHEN THE
FAMOUS BOOTLEGGER GANGSTER AND
MURDERER CHARLIE BURGER WAS
ADMITTED.
TODAY, CHARM I IS A LOCAL
LEGEND, A KIND OF ROBIN HOOD
LEGEND WHO WAS QUICK TO HELP
PEOPLE IN TROUBLE, WITH
CONTRIBUTIONS OF FOOD, MONEY OR
COAL.
BUT HE HAD A QUICK TEMPER, HAD A
PERSON TO FEAR, AND LEFT A
SCATTERING OF BODIES.
BESIDE BOOTLEGGING, HE ALSO RAN
AN AUTOMOBILE THEFT RING,
GAMBLING ORGANIZATION,
PROSTITUTION, AND HE ORGANIZED
ANIMAL FIGHTS.
BUT TROUBLE REALLY EXPLODED WHEN
HE BROKE AWAY THERE HIS
PARTNERS, THE NOTORIOUS SHELLTON
BROTHERS.
THAT BEGAN A VICIOUS FIGHT FOR
CONTROL IN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
WHICH ENDED WITH THE SHELLTON'S
IN LEVENWORTH, AND CHARLIE IN
THIS JAIL.
CHARLIE KNEW THE CHARGES
WOULDN'T STICK UNTIL SOMETHING
HAPPENED BEHIND THIS CLOSED
THIS WAS CHARLIE BURGER'S CELL. WHEN HE WAS ARRESTED, HE WAS SO IN FEAR OF HIS LIFE,HE CONVINCED
THE AUTHORITIES TO ALLOW HIM TO
KEEP A LOADED MACHINE GUN IN HIS
CELL FOR THE FIRST WEEK.
CHARLIE DID HAVE REASON TO BE
AFRAID.
DIRECTLY BELOW HIS CELL, BEHIND
THIS DOOR, ONE OF HIS GANG
MEMBERS WAS SINGING.
HE IMPLICATED BURGER IN THE
MURDER OF JOE ADAMS, THE MAYOR
OF A NEARBY TOWN WHO WAS ALSO AN
ALLY OF THE SHELLTON BROTHERS.
BURGER WAS FOUND GUILTY AND
SENTENCED TO DIE.
AT THAT TIME, IN ILLINOIS, THE
METHOD OF EXECUTION WAS THE
ELECTRIC CHAIR.
UNFORTUNATELY FOR BURGER, HE WAS
TO BE EXECUTED USING THE METHOD
IN USE AT THE TIME OF THE CRIME.
THAT WAS HANGING.
AMONG THE PICTURES ON DISPLAY ARE SEVERAL SHOWING THE STOCKADE THAT WAS ERECTED AROUND THE JAIL
TO PREVENT A RESCUE ATTEMPT.
TICKETS TO ENTER THE EN CLOSURE
WERE GIVEN TO A HUNDRED MEN WHO
WERE DEPOSITION ADVERTISED.
OUTSIDE HIS -- WHO WERE
DEPUTIZED.
THIS IS WHERE HE SPOKE HIS FINAL
WORLDS "IT IS A BEAUTIFUL WORLD
THE" AT 9:48 IN THE MORNING, THE
TRAP DOOR WAS SPRUNG.
19 MINUTES LATER, CHARLIE BURGER
WAS DEAD.
IT WAS THE LAST LEGAL HANGING IN
THE STATE OF ILLINOIS.
TODAY VISITORS CAN SEE THE ROPE
AND NOOSE PLACED AROUND HIS
NECK, ALONG WITH THE HANDCUFFS.
THERE WAS A COPY OF THE BOOK
SOLD "RECOUNTING THE GANGSTER'S
FALL."
THERE WAS THE KEY TO BURGER'S
CELL WHERE HE SPENT THE LAST
YEAR OF HIS LIFE.
ALSO ON DISPLAY IS A TELEPHONE
BOOTH FROM THE COURTHOUSE WHERE
BURGER'S TRIAL WAS HELD.
INSIDE IS A PRISON LOGBOOK WHICH
NOTES EACH PRISONER ARE HIS
CRIME, AND HIS PUNISHMENT,
ACROSS CHARLIE'S NAME IS WRITTEN
"HANGED BY THE NECK UNTIL DEAD,
DEAD, DEAD."
>> WELCOME BACK TO THE FRANKLIN COUNTY JAIL MUSEUM IN BENTON WHERE THERE ARE TWO ROOMS
DEDICATED TO THIS AREA'S MOST
FAMOUS RESIDENT.
HE WAS A CIVIL WAR EN GENERAL,
CANDIDATE FOR VICE PRESIDENT,
AND HE IS CREDITED WITH KEEPING
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS IN THE UNION.
HIS NAME, OF COURSE, IS JOHN A
LOGAN.
HERE IS A PICTURE OF THE HOME HE
AND HIS BRIDE MOVED INTO.
THE PICTURE WAS TAKEN IN 1930
BEFORE THE HOUSE WAS TORN DOWN.
THIS CHAIR IS FROM THAT HOUSE.
THE LEGS WERE CUT OFF BY LOGAN
TO ACCOMMODATE HIS YOUNG
DAUGHTER.
HERE IS THE SWORD HE WORE DURING
THE WAR WHICH HE LATER GAVE TO A
FRIEND.
JOHN LOGAN IS PROBABLY BEST
KNOWN FOR ISSUING GENERAL ORDER
NUMBER 11 IN 1868 WHICH
ESTABLISHED DECORATION DAY AS A
NATIONAL HOLIDAY, A DAY FOR
DECORATING THE GRAVES OF CIVIL
WAR SOLDIERS.
TODAY, WE CALL IT MEMORIAL DAY.
AFTER THE WAR TO HELP SUPPLEMENT
HIS INCOME AS A POLITICIAN, HE
BEGAN SPECULATING IN AREA COAL
MINES ON DISPLAY ARE SOME OF THE
LETTERS HE WROTE IN OFFICE
REGARDING LAND HE PURCHASED IN
FRANKLIN COUNTY.
NEXT TO THE LOGAN ROOMS IS THIS
ONE WHICH CONTAINS 1963 CONTROL
ROOM EQUIPMENT FROM LOCAL RADIO
STATION.
WHILE IT COULD BE SAID THAT
LOGAN PREVENTED A SOUTHERN
INVASION, THIS STUDIO HELPED TO
START AN INVASION FROM OVERSEAS.
BEFORE ALMOST ANYONE OUTSIDE OF
ENGLAND HAD HEARD OF THE BAIT
ALS, GEORGE HARRISON CAME TO
BENTON TO VISIT HIS SISTER.
SHE HAD MARRIED AN MERGE
ENGINEER WHO HAD TAKEN A JOB
WITH THE COAL COMPANY IN THIS
AREA.
DURING HIS THREE WEEK VISIT, SHE
TOOK HIM TO WFRX IN WEST
FRANKFORT TO PLAY THE GROUP'S
LATEST SINGLE "FROM ME TO YOU."
IT WAS ON ON ONE OF THESE TURN
TABES TABLES THAT THE FIRST
BEATLES FM SONG WAS PLAYED.
AT THE TIME HE WAS ALSO
INTERVIEWED AT THIS TABLE USING
THIS MICROPHONE BY THE DAUGHTER
OF THE STATION'S OWNER.
AND WHILE IN THE AREA, HE
SATURDAY IN WITH THE LOCAL
GROUP
CALLED THE FOUR VESTS AT NEARBY
VFW HALL.
GEORGE BROUGHT BOUGHT ONE OF THE
BAND MEMBERS RICK ENERGY TAR.
HE WAS SO IMPRESSED HE BOUGHT
ONE FOR HIMSELF.
THAT INSTRUMENT CK HEARD ON BAIT
AISLES RECORDS INCLUDING "HARD
DAYS NIGHT" ACROSS FROM THE
HARRISON EXHIBIT IS A BEDROOM
USED IN 1954 BY THE SON OF
SHERIFF COLLINS.
TODAY IT IS BEING TURNED INTO
DISPLAY ERA COMMEMORATING THE
ERA OF MILLION DOUG COLLINS.
HE PLAYED ON THE 1972 OLYMPIC
TEAM BEING WAS THE FIRST ROUND
DRAFT PICK PHILADELPHIA 76ERS IN
1973.
HE WAS A FOUR TIME ALL STAR WHO
LATER BECAME HEAD COACH OF THE
CHICAGO BULLS AND THEN THE
DETROIT PISTONS.
ON DISPLAY IS HIS PHILADELPHIA
WARM UP SUIT FROM 1976 AND HIS
SIGNATURE WHICH HE LEFT ON THE
WALL DURING A RECENT VISIT.
OUTSIDE EMBEDDED IN THE OAK TREE
IS AN OLD RUSTED HOOP WHERE HE
USED TO PRACTICE IN THE EVENING.
WELCOME BACK TO BENTON WHERE A COUPLE OF BLOCKS FROM THE JAIL MUSEUM IS THIS DEVELOPING SITE.
BUILT IN 1910, THIS BUILDING
HOWKED THE FIRST FORD -- HOUSED
THE FIRST FORD FRANCHISE IN
FRANKLIN COUNTY.
HOUSES BURGER ITEMS AS WELL AS
AUTOMOBILES.
INSIDE IS 1914 MODEL-T WITH GAS
TANK UNDER THE DRIVERS'S SEAT.
SINCE IT WAS GRAVITY FED, THESE
CARS HAD TROUBLE GOING UP HILLS
UNLESS IT WAS DRIVEN BACKWARDS.
TANK IN THIS 1926 MODEL IS UNDER
THE COWL IN THE ENGINE.
THIS WAS THE HUB FOR FIVE OTHER
DEALERS.
CARS WERE SHIPPED HERE BY RAIL
IN CRATES STACKED ON END.
AT THE STATION, THEY WERE
UNPACKED, TIRES WERE PUT ON,
THEY WERE DRIVEN HERE WHERE THE
FENDERS AND ROOF WERE ATTACHED.
WHEN THE MUSEUM TOOK OVER THIS
SITE, ALMOST ALL THE TOOLS AND
SPARE PARTS WERE STILL HERE
AMONG THE EXTRA BELTS AND HOSES
THEY FOUND THESE UNUSED INSECT
SCREENS WITH PAPER WRAPPINGS
STILL AROUND THEM.
THIS BEAUTIFULLY RESTORED PICK
UP BELONGED TO CHARLIE BURGER IN
HIS PREPROHIBITION DAYS.
IT WAS ORIGINALLY FLATBED, AND
WOOD SIDES WERE ADDED DURING TES
TORE RATION.
THIS IS NOT ONLY BURG ARE ITEM
AT THE SITE.
IN A CABINET IS DISPLAYED THE
HOMEMADE BULLET PROOF VEST
CHARLIE WORE AROUND TOWN.
HE CAN BE SEEN WEAR ING IT IN
THIS PICTURE TAKEN OUTSIDE HIS
IN FA MULLS ROADHOUSE.
-- INFAMOUS ROADHOUSE.
BENTON HAS BEEN THE HOME TO A
NUMBER OF FAMOUS INDIVIDUALS,
AND EVEN HAD THE ROLE TO PLAY IN
THE BEATLE HISTORY.
JUST LIKE IN THIS GARAGE, IT IS
HARD TO GET AWAY FROM THE
STORIES OF CHARLIE BURGER.
FRANK LYNN COUNTY JAIL MUSEUM IS
HEADQUARTERS OF THE FRANKLIN
COUNTY TOURISM BUREAU
(618)439-0608.