Jesse Washington "This is the barbecue we had last night. My picture is to the left with a cross over it. Your son, Joe." A mentally retarded seventeen year old. Washington confessed to murdering a white woman for whom he was a farm laborer. A brief trial resumed with the murder weapon and his confession. After "four" minutes of deliberation he was found guilty. He was beaten and dragged to a bridge spanning the Brazos River. T he crowd roared, "Burn him!" He was taken to the public square, beaten with shovels and bricks along the way, to a crowd of 15,000 waiting spectators who climbed poles, hung out windows and hoisted children atop shoulders for a better view. The youth was castrated and his ears were cut off (possibly later by souvenir collectors). He was lifted by a hoist above the fire and as the flames rose he tried to get away by climbing the chains that held him. Members of the mob cut off his fingers as he attempted to climb. He was then repeatedly lowered and hoisted into the fire. His body was then dragged around the City Hall Plaza and seven miles out to a Black town as a warning , then the remains were hung for display.
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