Criminals To Civil Rights Heroes...The Savage Hypocracy of Racism...

[SteyrAUG]

On August 6, 1930, Mary Ball and her companion, Claude Deeter, were attacked by three African Americans, Tom Shipp, 18, Abe Smith,18, and James Cameron, 16, at Lover's Lane along the Mississinewa River. During the hold up, one of the youth shot Deeter multiple times, leaving him on the side of the river. Claude crawled to the road and was picked up and taken to Marion General Hospital.

Claude Deeter was rushed to Marion General Hospital in critical condition. After observation, the doctors confirmed that there was little chance of survival and he died Thursday, August 7, 1930 at 1:30pm. Newspapers later reported that Mary Ball was raped and left on the side of the road (Ball later revoked these claims in the Court of Law).

News of the murder and alleged rape spread quickly through out the town. This greatly angered the people of Marion, Indiana and small mob began to gather at the jail, growing rapidly in number. Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith were taken from their cells, beaten and hung. There is a famous photo of the incident which sparked outrage.

http://www.christenacleveland.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Negro-lynching-in-Indiana_1930.jpg

This was of course a criminal act, even though both men where involved in the murder of Claude Deeter they were denied their due process. The third man, James Cameron was spared when an unknown person declared his innocence. James Cameron was actually not innocent and was charged with murder and armed robbery, rape charges where dropped when Mary Bell revoked the claim she had been raped by the men.

James Cameron was convicted at trial in 1931 as an accessory before the fact to the murder of Deeter, and served four years of his sentence in a state prison. And that should have been that. But it wasn't.

For years people would ignore the fact that the men in the photo where guilty of armed robbery and murder, some would even fabricate stories suggesting or even claiming their complete innocence and making them out to be "victims" of racism. Within a generation they were civil rights "martyrs" and the photo was used to suggest innocent victims of racial hatred who where "lynched" simply because they where black.

In the 1980s James Cameron would become a civil rights activist for the memory of lynching. He founded the America’s Black Holocaust museum in Milwaukee in 1988. In 1991 Cameron was pardoned by the state of Indiana and governor Evan Bayh and a 2003 "Day of Reconciliation" organized by a group of local pastors.

A stage dramatization of the events, The Gospel According to James, opened at the Indianapolis Repertory Theater in 2011.

James Cameron is known today mostly as a "survivor" of a lynching and usually no mention is made of his part in the robbery and murder of Claude Deeter. His "Black Holocaust" memorial is dedicated to "the victims of the enslavement of Africans in the United States."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/America%27s_Black_Holocaust_Museum

The photo continues to be used as an example of racial injustice against blacks by whites and the fact that all three men participated in an armed robbery which resulted in the death of an innocent man, Claude Deeter, is conveniently overlooked or simply forgotten.

There is no similar memorial for Claude Deeter. His name is generally unknown by civil rights activists. Mary Bell is occasionally mentioned so that the false allegations of rape can be used to suggest the three men where in fact innocent and wrongly accused and so that she can be blamed for the lynching of those "innocent men."

It's amazing how little it takes for convicted murders to become heroes.

[Averageman]

My Grandfather and Grandmother were there at the time.
My Grandfathers story of what happened had a bit more graphic detail to it and no one was sorry it happend, only that Cameron wasn't on a third limb outside that jail.
Yes, they would like to rewrite history.

[Moose-Knuckle]

There is a good chance that Mary Bell denied being raped by those 02 thieves due to the social stigma that would be assigned her by the community at that time. No man would want to marry her, have children with her, etc. if it was known that she had been assaulted by those three.

With that said, thanks for the history lesson Steyr. I see a common theme in this particular sub-culture of our society. Rob a store, get caught by the police, attempt to disarm said police so as to murder them with their own duty weapon and its RACIST when the LEO is forced to use deadly force to stop you. Follow, jump from behind, and repeatedly slam the head of a neighborhood watchman into a concrete sidewalk thus leaving him with the option to die or utilize deadly force to defend himself with, again the perpetrator is a victim of RACISM.

One of these days something is going to give . . .

[a1fabweld]

There will be many more stories of "Heroes" like this to fill the pages of the Progressive's history books once the Darren Wilson verdict is announced.

[Averageman]

There is a good chance that Mary Bell denied being raped by those 02 thieves due to the social stigma that would be assigned her by the community at that time. No man would want to marry her, have children with her, etc. if it was known that she had been assaulted by those three.
One of these days something is going to give . . .

That is exactly what I was told, She was afraid and recounted her story to save what was left of her reputation. It was another time and a white woman who had been raped, let alone being raped by a male of another race was going to have a hard life ahead.
I also believe that picture became a Post Card, no actually many copies were made and sold.
BTW if you look this up as I have, you wont find Cameron saying he wasn't guilty.
I firmly believe it was justice and regardless of the race the same tree and rope would have been used.
Strange fruit indeed...

[SteyrAUG]

That is exactly what I was told, She was afraid and recounted her story to save what was left of her reputation. It was another time and a white woman who had been raped, let alone being raped by a male of another race was going to have a hard life ahead.
I also believe that picture became a Post Card, no actually many copies were made and sold.
BTW if you look this up as I have, you wont find Cameron saying he wasn't guilty.
I firmly believe it was justice and regardless of the race the same tree and rope would have been used.
Strange fruit indeed...

That's possible, but even if we take things at "face value" an individual who was party to a robbery and murder, something that by today's laws would get you treated exactly like the trigger puller, not only got a very light sentence but became a civil rights hero simply because he escaped a lynching.

I can't recall too many white people who were lynched a few decades prior in the "old west" being celebrated for anything. Additionally, Cameron never really had to deny his guilt, he had entire generations of civil rights activists doing that for him. The same people who suggested Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith were lynched solely because of bogus rape charges and no mention is ever made of the robbery and murder of Claude Deeter.

Of course these facts aren't always convenient for those with an agenda.

[J-Dub]

Their CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS were violated, along with their CIVIL RIGHTS.

I hope a few of the criminal fans/L.E. Haters (you know who you are) come along shortly and inform you how the men swinging from the ropes were the real victims.


I'll bet they weren't even read their Miranda Rights......ridiculous!

Now the real irony is all the folks that scream "constitutional rights" will applaud the hangings lol

[Doc Safari]

I thought this thread was going to be about Michael Brown's parents testifying at the UN torture panel.

In a roundabout way, I guess it still is...

[SteyrAUG]

Their CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS were violated, along with their CIVIL RIGHTS.

I hope a few of the criminal fans/L.E. Haters (you know who you are) come along shortly and inform you how the men swinging from the ropes were the real victims.


I'll bet they weren't even read their Miranda Rights......ridiculous!

Now the real irony is all the folks that scream "constitutional rights" will applaud the hangings lol

You are correct and I noted that in the OP. The rights of these criminal were violated and they were denied due process. They should have been found guilty in a court of law and then hung for their crimes.

And for the record, I don't support vigilante justice in this case. They would have likely faced a guilty verdict and a sentence of death. The negative attention from the lynching is probably what allowed Cameron to receive such a light sentence as well for his participation in the robbery and murder of Claude Deeter.

[glocktogo]

You are correct and I noted that in the OP. The rights of these criminal were violated and they were denied due process. They should have been found guilty in a court of law and then hung for their crimes.

And for the record, I don't support vigilante justice in this case. They would have likely faced a guilty verdict and a sentence of death. The negative attention from the lynching is probably what allowed Cameron to receive such a light sentence as well for his participation in the robbery and murder of Claude Deeter.

Exactly. Had Due Process not been circumvented, there'd be one less false narrative being used by the race baiters today.

[GeorgiaBoy]

Would the same situation have happened if the 2 men were white? I'm speaking of the vigilante justice here, not the original crime.

That's a pretty significant and thought provoking question. Because its likely the reason the murderers are used as "martyrs". They likely were lynched (by a white mob, if the picture is any evidence) because they were black, not because they murdered.

[SteyrAUG]

Would the same situation have happened if the 2 men were white? I'm speaking of the vigilante justice here, not the original crime.

That's a pretty significant and thought provoking question. Because its likely the reason the murderers are used as "martyrs". They likely were lynched (by a white mob, if the picture is any evidence) because they were black, not because they murdered.

I think the only difference would be if they were white is all three of them might have been lynched.

The Tuskegee Institute has recorded 3,446 blacks and 1,297 whites being lynched between 1882 and 1968, with the annual peak occurring in the late 1800s, when Democrats acted to enforce white supremacy.

Now granted, whites were lynched in about 30% of the above cases but 1/3 hardly makes it something that didn't happen. In fact in the late 1800s you could get lynched for simply stealing a horse.

That said, the idea that they became "martyrs" simply because blacks where more frequently lynched than whites (about twice as much) is as offensive as declaring death row inmates "martyrs" because they are usually minorities.

I would think one would find INNOCENT victims of racially motivated murder to hold up as martyrs. I'm assuming there are more than a few and those should be the cases and images used. Otherwise we need to hold a pity party for all the members of the KKK who where killed by black militants "simply because they were white."

[Savior 6]

That said, the idea that they became "martyrs" simply because blacks where more frequently lynched than whites (about twice as much) is as offensive as declaring death row inmates "martyrs" because they are usually minorities...

... Otherwise we need to hold a pity party for all the members of the KKK who where killed by black militants "simply because they were white."

Very well put however it could fall on deaf ears as people will identify with one side or the other. Unfortunately people will not look at the character of the persons involved in the story but merely will identify with the person of the same race and justify their argument from that standpoint alone. And this only serves to create a greater divide.