Jan 25, 2015
Archived: KVSC PRESENTS TRIAL BY MOB: THE DULUTH LYNCHINGS DOCUDRAMA
KVSC presents the radio docudrama Trial By Mob: The Duluth Lynchings.
The 1920 lynching of three young black men in Duluth is a tragic part of Minnesota’s history. On the evening of June 15, 1920, a crowd of thousands attacked the police station in Duluth, pulling Elias Clayton, Elmer Jackson and Isaac McGhie from their jail cells.
(This image is from the Minnesota Historical Society and shows the damage the mob caused to the police station).
The three young black men were beaten and hanged by their necks from a lamp post at Second Avenue East and First Street. The men, who were working for a traveling circus, were accused of raping 19-year-old Irene Tusken on June 14. Little evidence would be found to corroborate these claims. A June 15 examination of Tusken by Dr. David Graham, a family physician, showed no physical signs of rape or assault.
No one was ever convicted for murdering Clayton, Jackson and McGhie.
This radio docudrama "Trial by Mob: The Duluth Lynchings" is a first-time production of a Michael Fedo script, based on Fedo’s 2000 Minnesota Historical Society Press book "The Lynchings in Duluth."
Warning: This program is not suitable for young listeners, due to content and the frequent use of racial slurs of the time
The program discussion held Wed. Feb. 25, 2015 is also available on podcast HERE.
The production was made possible, in part, by a grant from Minnesota’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
