Unbelievable bit of history here you have to read: Article about the lynching of 3 Black men in SWMO

[usregimechange]

After an assault on a white woman, despite the fact that she identified them as not being the perpetrators, 2 Black men were lynched and doused with an accelerant and set on fire. 1 other Black man was also lynched who was not only also innocent but not even accused of the assault. After this happened in front of thousands of supportive onlookers including hundreds of children some returned in order to take "souvenirs of bits of rope, clothes and bone from the ghastly rubble."

Please read this and never, never forget the impact of hate within group dynamics:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=162x9231

[usregimechange]

1. Hard to believe people can do that...

[The Genealogist]

2. As a citizen of the town, I consider this to be the town's darkest moment

It still disgusts me. And there is still racism and hate aplenty here, to this day.

[usregimechange]

3. Hello neighbor. Hope we can do better.

How many times have you heard this story and were their details missing or that you hadn't heard?

[The Genealogist]

9. I have a couple of books that discuss it

And I have read other accounts of the event, but the present article includes all I know about it except that I didn't see anything noted there about the souvenir coins that were made. I guess if you didn't take souvenirs from the scene (it turns my stomach to imagine the scene of people picking through human remains at the crime scene on the square, like vultures) you could buy a token that said something like "I saw the three n*****s lynched on the square."

[xmas74]

4. I remember hearing this story in high school.

One of my classes was on Missouri history.

[Nikia]

5. Unfortunately, this was not an isolated incident

Thousands of black people died this way. These weren't just the actions of a few hooded angry men. Whole communities took part and no one was punished. This still happened within the lifetime of some people alive today.
I think that people have a right to be angry about this and that it would help if this was acknowledged rather than downplayed. This is something to be sorry for and say never again.

[MadHound]

6. And more recent Springfield history,

That's not just an isolated case there. Hell, look at your more recent history.
"The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has entered the investigation into the hanging death of Leonard Gakinya, 27, an African-American resident of Springfield, Mo. “Federal resources are being utilized such as toxicology, fingerprint detection and other resources,” according to Bill Whitcomb of the U.S. Department of Justice Community Relations Service.

Gakinya was found dangling 30 feet in the air from a 100 foot communications tower in downtown Springfield, on Wednesday, Oct. 2. The body hung on the tower for three hours after it was discovered and numerous photographs were taken of the hanging corpse. The CALL was able to obtain a copy of one of these photographs."
<http://www.blackpressusa.com/News/Article.asp?SID=3&Title=Hot+Stories&NewsID=2723>

There's a reason I don't live in Springfield or the Ozarks. Beautiful country, absolutely wonderful country. A few pockets of great people, but only a few. However there are lots of strange, violent, beyond RW people who would as soon kill you as look at you if you don't fit with their notion of who should be on this Earth.

I lived for six years in Springfield and SW Mo., and even though I've lived in Missouri all of my life, in both rural and urban areas, I was astounded by the bigotry, racism, intolerance and violence that permeates that part of the state.

[The Genealogist]

10. I remember that case

And my memory of that case is that the local police dismissed the death as suicide almost immediately. I was ashamed of that, as the details I saw in the papers suggested there was far more to the story. I don't remember the details now, but they were enough to make me seriously question what the police were doing brushing off this case so quickly.

[Number23]

7. Hi there.

Would you be kind enough to add this story to this thread?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=258x2983

The single greatest thread on this entire web site. Thank you! :hi:

[Kindigger]

8. I used to be black

and I'm finding some disturbing things in my family tree. I bought my dad a DNA test last Christmas--I'd lost his family in 1850 Ohio and had hit a wall. I was quickly in touch with a new cousin, and the other end of my tree from 1790.

Our common ancestor was a free black man in Virginia.

While in Virginia the family had to register on the "free colored tax list" once a year. Moving on to Kentucky, his ancestor was always listed as white in the census and remained in the same location for a lifetime. The same is true for another brother that relocated to Illinois--one wife, one long life.

It appears the story was very different for my 3rd Great Grandpa's family. In 1885 my 2nd Great Uncle is in the Iowa State Penitentiary (I still don't know why), and in 1907 another family member is lynched. In one census they try to be "Indian", and ten years later they are black again. There are blended families, broken homes, multiple marriages, land purchases, quick sales, relocations and people dying before age 50.

I live in the same area now. I look around me at the descendents of the white people who lived here at that time; a small town that is 99.9% white and boasts on it's webpage "The Best Thing About ____ Iowa is the People!"

Once again I've hit a wall. Taking where I live and what I now know into consideration, I say they were finally successfully run out of town around 1900, and except for my Great Grandpa all are missing.

There are no graves in "white" cemeteries. It still shocks me to find a death record with COLORED written in bold.

If anyone thinks this post shouldn't be here, please just disregard it. I frantically opened the link to look for names. I think this is about as close to a white person knowing what it's like to be black as one can get.