June 15, 1920 is a sad reminder of the dark corners in American history
when a 19 year-old Irene Tusken went over to watch the African-American
circus workers load the circus wagons and was raped by six of the James Robinson Circus employees. The police quickly
arrested several black men accused of committing the crime on the white
woman. This occurred at a period of heightened racial conflict across
the country. In the evening a mob broke into the jail and following a
mock trial, declared Elias Clayton, Isaac McGhie and Elmer Jackson
guilty. And taking them out of the jail, the mob lynched them on a light
pole. Later the black community called for justice but the lynch mob
was only lightly punished.
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