The lynching of Jesse Washington in Waco, Texas, occurred on May 15, 1916. Jesse Washington, a 17-year-old
African American farmhand, was accused of raping and murdering Lucy Fryer, the wife of a white farmer. After
a swift and unfair trial, he was convicted by an all-white jury. Immediately following the verdict,
Washington was seized by a mob, dragged out of the courthouse, and brutally lynched in front of a crowd of
over 10,000 spectators.
The mob mutilated Washington, hanged him, and burned him alive in what became known as the "Waco Horror."
This gruesome event was documented by photographs, which were widely circulated and drew national and
international condemnation. The lynching of Jesse Washington highlighted the rampant racial violence and
injustice faced by African Americans in the United States, sparking outrage and contributing to the early
civil rights movement.