In May 1836, after pro-slavery forces in St. Louis destroyed his printing press for the third time, Lovejoy left the city and moved across the river to Alton, in the free state of Illinois.
Before he could move the press, an angry mob broke into the Observer office and vandalized it.
Only Alderman and future mayor Bryan Mullanphy attempted to stop the crime, and no policemen or city officials intervened.
Lovejoy packed what remained of the office for shipment to Alton.
It sat on the riverbank, unguarded, overnight and was destroyed and thrown into the Mississippi River.

Although Illinois was a free state, Alton, Illinois was a center for slave catchers and pro-slavery forces.
Many escaped slaves crossed the Mississippi River from Missouri, a slave state.
Alton had been settled by pro-slavery Southerners who thought Alton should not become a haven for escaped slaves.

In 1837 he started the Alton Observer, also an abolitionist paper.
He served as pastor at Upper Alton Presbyterian Church (now College Avenue Presbyterian Church).

Lovejoy's views on slavery became more extreme and he called for a convention to discuss the formation of a state Anti-Slavery Society.
Many in Alton began questioning allowing Lovejoy to continue printing in their town.
After an economic crisis in March 1837, Alton citizens wondered if Lovejoy's views were contributing to hard times.
They felt Southern states, or even St. Louis, might not want to do business with their town if they continued to harbor an abolitionist.

Lovejoy held the Illinois Antislavery Congress at the Presbyterian church in Upper Alton on October 26, 1837.
The supporters in attendance were surprised to see two pro-slavery advocates in the crowd, John Hogan and Illinois Attorney General Usher F. Linder.
The Lovejoy supporters were not happy to have his enemies at the convention, but relented as the meeting was open to all parties.

On November 7, 1837, pro-slavery partisans approached Gilman's warehouse, where Lovejoy had hidden his printing press.
According to the Alton Observer, the mob fired shots into the warehouse.
When Lovejoy and his men returned fire, they hit several people in the crowd, killing a man named Bishop.

The leaders of the mob set up a ladder against the warehouse.
They sent a boy up with a torch to set fire to the wooden roof.
Lovejoy and his supporter Royal Weller went outside, surprised the pro-slavery partisans, pushed over the ladder and retreated back inside the warehouse.
The mob put up the ladder again; when Lovejoy and Weller went out to overturn it, they were spotted and shot.
Lovejoy was hit five times with slugs from a shotgun and died immediately; Weller was wounded.
The mob destroyed the new printing press by carrying it to a window and throwing it out onto the riverbank.
They broke it up and threw the pieces into the river.

After his death, his brother Owen Lovejoy entered politics and became the leader of the Illinois abolitionists.
Francis Butter Murdoch, the district attorney of Alton, prosecuted Lovejoy's murder but no one was convicted.
The jury foreman had been a member of the mob and was wounded in the attack.
The presiding judge also doubled as a witness to the proceedings.
These conflicts of interest resulted in a "not guilty" verdict.

Lovejoy was considered a martyr by the abolition movement.
In his name, his brother Owen became the leader of the Illinois abolitionists.
Owen and his brother Joseph wrote a memoir about Elijah, which was published in 1838 by the Anti-Slavery Society in New York and distributed widely among abolitionists in the nation.
With his murder symbolic of the rising tensions within the country, Lovejoy is called the "first casualty of the Civil War."

Elijah Lovejoy was buried in Alton Cemetery in an unmarked grave.
In 1860, Thomas Dimmock, editor of the Alton Democrat, located the grave and arranged for a proper grave marker.
Some of his supporters were later buried near him.

On November 2, 1837, five days before his death, he gave an emotive speech in Alton on the abolition question.
In it, he asserted his willi
In May 1836, after pro-slavery forces in St. Louis destroyed his printing press for the third time, Lovejoy left the city and moved across the river to Alton, in the free state of Illinois. Before he could move the press, an angry mob broke into the Observer office and vandalized it. Only Alderman and future mayor Bryan Mullanphy attempted to stop the crime, and no policemen or city officials intervened. Lovejoy packed what remained of the office for shipment to Alton. It sat on the riverbank, unguarded, overnight and was destroyed and thrown into the Mississippi River.
Although Illinois was a free state, Alton, Illinois was a center for slave catchers and pro-slavery forces. Many escaped slaves crossed the Mississippi River from Missouri, a slave state. Alton had been settled by pro-slavery Southerners who thought Alton should not become a haven for escaped slaves.
In 1837 he started the Alton Observer, also an abolitionist paper. He served as pastor at Upper Alton Presbyterian Church (now College Avenue Presbyterian Church). 
Lovejoy's views on slavery became more extreme and he called for a convention to discuss the formation of a state Anti-Slavery Society. Many in Alton began questioning allowing Lovejoy to continue printing in their town. After an economic crisis in March 1837, Alton citizens wondered if Lovejoy's views were contributing to hard times. They felt Southern states, or even St. Louis, might not want to do business with their town if they continued to harbor an abolitionist.
Lovejoy held the Illinois Antislavery Congress at the Presbyterian church in Upper Alton on October 26, 1837. The supporters in attendance were surprised to see two pro-slavery advocates in the crowd, John Hogan and Illinois Attorney General Usher F. Linder. The Lovejoy supporters were not happy to have his enemies at the convention, but relented as the meeting was open to all parties.
On November 7, 1837, pro-slavery partisans approached Gilman's warehouse, where Lovejoy had hidden his printing press. According to the Alton Observer, the mob fired shots into the warehouse. When Lovejoy and his men returned fire, they hit several people in the crowd, killing a man named Bishop.
The leaders of the mob set up a ladder against the warehouse. They sent a boy up with a torch to set fire to the wooden roof. Lovejoy and his supporter Royal Weller went outside, surprised the pro-slavery partisans, pushed over the ladder and retreated back inside the warehouse. The mob put up the ladder again; when Lovejoy and Weller went out to overturn it, they were spotted and shot. Lovejoy was hit five times with slugs from a shotgun and died immediately; Weller was wounded. The mob destroyed the new printing press by carrying it to a window and throwing it out onto the riverbank. They broke it up and threw the pieces into the river.
After his death, his brother Owen Lovejoy entered politics and became the leader of the Illinois abolitionists. Francis Butter Murdoch, the district attorney of Alton, prosecuted Lovejoy's murder but no one was convicted. The jury foreman had been a member of the mob and was wounded in the attack. The presiding judge also doubled as a witness to the proceedings. These conflicts of interest resulted in a "not guilty" verdict.
Lovejoy was considered a martyr by the abolition movement. In his name, his brother Owen became the leader of the Illinois abolitionists. Owen and his brother Joseph wrote a memoir about Elijah, which was published in 1838 by the Anti-Slavery Society in New York and distributed widely among abolitionists in the nation. With his murder symbolic of the rising tensions within the country, Lovejoy is called the "first casualty of the Civil War."
Elijah Lovejoy was buried in Alton Cemetery in an unmarked grave. In 1860, Thomas Dimmock, editor of the Alton Democrat, located the grave and arranged for a proper grave marker. Some of his supporters were later buried near him.
On November 2, 1837, five days before his death, he gave an emotive speech in Alton on the abolition question. In it, he asserted his willi
Elijah Parish Lovejoy