People Name: McIntosh, Francis Category: African-American Experience Description: Francis McIntosh, a free mulatto steamboat steward, was arrested for interfering with sheriff´s deputies in April 1836. As he was being taken to jail, he asked the deputies what they thought his punishment would be. They jokingly responded that he would be hanged, but McIntosh took the comment seriously. He broke free, stabbed both deputies, killing one and wounding the other, but was captured by a crowd of onlookers, who escorted him to jail. The onlookers soon grew into a mob, which took McIntosh out of his cell, tied him to a tree, and burned him for 18 minutes before he died. Most of the local press agreed to bury the issue for fear that it would worsen St. Louis´ already savage reputation. Some of the local press outlets, however, blasted the community, wondering why the cool-headed members of the crowd hadn´t stopped the lynching from taking place. An investigation into the murder, headed by Judge Luke Lawless, was completely biased, and Lawless even instructed the grand jury not to indict anyone. |
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