Clayton Jackson McGhie Memorial

On June 15, 1920, after the alleged rape of a young woman, Duluth police jailed a number of men who worked for a travelling circus. That evening, thousands of Duluthians gathered outside the city jail, and because the police were under orders not to shoot, they did not stop the crowd. Using timbers and rails as battering rams, the mob broke down the jail doors and staged a trial of six of the men. They convicted Elias Clayton, Elmer Jackson, and Isaac McGhie, who had been held as a witness. The crowd dragged the three young men about a block, beat them brutally, and hanged them from a light pole diagonally across the street. A few brave people protested, but they were few against thousands. One man took a photograph that was later distributed as postcards.

Duluth, Minnesota · United States