June 16, 1920 Violence

June 15, 1920 Killings

A mob lynched three African American circus workers in Duluth, Minnesota after rumors circulated that black men had raped a white woman. A subsequent physician's inspection of the accuser came to the conclusion that there was no evidence of rape.

A memorial to the victims of the lynching was built in 2003.  The horrific event is also recalled in the first stanza of Bob Dylan's Desolation Row.  While the recent death of George Floyd in Minneapolis has been termed a lynching, this horrific 1920 event stands out as the only mob lynching of blacks in Minnesota's history.  There are other instances of lynchings, including lynchings of Native Americans, but this one stands apart for that reason as well as its horrific nature.  It pretty clearly demonstrated that the horror of lynching, which had been much in the news in 1919, could occur anywhere in the nation.

Another homicide was making the headlines on one of Casper's two newspapers.  James Clark, well known Douglas area rancher, age 54, was shot and killed by Roy Benning, an automobile mechanic. 

The cause of the killing seemed to be an argument over Clark's very brief marriage to Benning's daughter, which had been of only a week or so in length.  It had then been annulled.  The putative Mrs. Clark was 16 years old.

While exactly what occurred was unclear at the time, what seems probable is that the Benning family wasn't thrilled by their very young daughter marrying the middle aged rancher at a time at which 54 wasn't middle aged, it was old.  Clark and Benning had engaged in an argument over that event and both men were armed. Clark was armed with a .45 revolver which appeared to have misfired several times before Benning shot and killed him with a small caliber pistol.

Candidate Harding's household cook was photographed for the news wires.

  Inez P.McWhorter, Harding family's cook.

Things seemed to be slow in Washington D. C., where weekday summertime golfing at Chevy Chase was being enjoyed.

Senator Howard Southerland, just recently a candidate for the Republican nomination, and then a Harding supporter, playing golf.

Justice Vandevanter and Justice McKenna of the United States Supreme Court enjoying watching golf at Chevy Chase.

North Schleswig and Southern Jutland were transferred to Denmark from Germany, as part of the post World War One territorial adjustments, although the Allies provisionally retain sovereignty of Jutland. Denmark was granted sovereignty over Southern Jutland on July 15 and then back dated it.  Schleswig was the only territorial adjustment made concerning Germany which the Germans didn't dispute following the rise of the Nazis.

And a famous radio broadcast took place in the UK.

Dame Nellie Melba's voice was broadcast from the Marconi Company station at Chelmsford in Essex, United Kingdom, for a period of thirty minutes