On May 8, 1916, Lucy Fryer, a 53 year old farmer's wife, was found dead outside her house near Waco. Jesse Washington a young black man, whose family worked on the Fryer farm, was arrested after blood was found on his clothing. He told the police where to find a hammer allegedly used in the murder and confessed Mrs. Fryer’s rape and murder. There is evidence of Washington’s diminished mental capacity.

He was tried on May 15 for one hour and the jury of twelve white men took four minutes to find him guilty. He was sentenced to death, but the crowd in and around the Courthouse surged forward and seized the youth. He was dragged with a chain around his neck through the streets to the City Hall area, where Washington was soaked in coal oil and the chain was thrown over a tree limb and Washington was hauled up over a fire and he was burned to death. His body was later pulled behind a car and hung for public viewing.

A local photographer took pictures of the entire horrific event and the photos were made into postcards, which were mailed throughout the country. The newly formed NAACP sent an investigator to try and raise public indignation, but the efforts were largely unsuccessful.

Even though Waco has had two African American mayors, black leaders have been unable, through May of 2005, to obtain any kind of official governmental apology for the event.

George Tamblyn
University of Washington