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Lynching of Fred Alexander

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The lynching of Fred Alexander was committed by a mob in Leavenworth, Kansas on January 15, 1901, after he was arrested for rape and murder. He was killed when he was burned alive while tied to a metal rail. The Democratic Party-allied newspaper had been fomenting fear of African Americans as libidinous sexual predators. Results of official investigations disputed whether there was a rape and only circumstantial evidence was used to blame him for the alleged crime.[1] The lynching and its aftermath were widely covered in newspapers.[2][3]

Alexander was a veteran of the Spanish–American War. He was accused of the rape and murder of 19-year-old Pearl Forbes.[4] He was castrated during the lynching.[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ Lovett, Christopher C. (2010). "A Public Burning: Race, Sex, and the Lynching of Fred Alexander" (PDF). Kansas History. 33 (2): 94–115.
  2. ^ "Negro Burned at the Stake by a Mob at Leavenworth, Kansas". Los Angeles Herald. January 16, 1901. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  3. ^ "NEGRO DIES AT THE STAKE; Fred Alexander Dragged from Leavenworth Jail by a Mob. Then Taken to the Scene of the Murder of Pearl Forbes and Burned to Death -- Protests His Innocence to the Last". The New York Times. January 16, 1901. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  4. ^ Rountree, Mark (January 11, 2019). "Anniversary of grisly event next week". The Hutchinson News. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  5. ^ "Lynching in America: Outside the South". Equal Justice Initiative. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
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