HTN SPONSORED BUSINESSES
DONATE TO KEEP THE MOVEMENT GOING
J W's Album: Wall Photos
On this day in 1946, the body of John C. Jones, victim of a jailhouse lynching, was found near Minden, Louisiana. The African-American veteran had been a survivor of the Battle of the Bulge. After a white woman reported a black prowler, deputies arrested and beat his first cousin, Alfred Harris Jr., until he told them that Jones did it — which Harris later explained was a lie. Deputies jailed both cousins and later released them at night into the hands of a waiting mob. Jones died from the beating, and Harris escaped north with his family. The NAACP investigated, and the crime was reported nationwide. This led to the first FBI investigation of a lynching in Louisiana, followed by the creation of a Committee on Civil Rights by President Truman. Federal authorities pursued charges, but the jury acquitted the five men, including two deputies, on federal charges related to Jones’ slaying.
No Stickers to Show