Lynching of Jesse Washington

Date: May 15, 1916 • Location: Waco, United States

Jesse Washington, a teenage African-American farmhand, was lynched in Waco, Texas.

Jesse Washington was a 17-year-old African American farmhand who was lynched in the county seat of Waco, Texas, on May 15, 1916, in what became a well-known example of lynching known as the "Waco Horror". Washington was accused of raping and murdering Lucy Fryer, the wife of his white employer in rural Robinson, Texas. After being found guilty and sentenced to death, he was chained by his neck and dragged out of the county court by observers. Washington was then paraded through the street, all while being stabbed and beaten, before being held down and castrated. He was then lynched in front of Waco's city hall.