oct 10, 1891 - The Lynching of Joe Coe

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George Smith ( Joe Coe) was an African American man who lived in Omaha, Nebraska. Smith was a married man with two children. Smith was accused of raping a 5 year old white girl. Even after proving his whereabouts Smith was arrested. A newspaper claimed that Smith raped the 5 year old and that she had passed away due to the assault. An angry mob overpowered the guards and pried their way into the cage Smith was held captive in. Smith was beaten and dragged into the street with a noose around his neck and was then hanged from a streetcar cable. The day after multiple newspapers informed citizens that Lizzie Yates wasn't dead and years later she confirmed that Smith never raped her.

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