DavidPaulHarris.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My take on a vintage style book cover.   

In May 1916, Jesse Washington, a seventeen year old black man, was arrested for the killing of Lucy Fryer, a fifty-three year old white woman. Washington would later confess to raping and killing Fryer. Wanting to avoid an attack on Washington while in custody in Waco, authorities in McLennan County sent Washington to a Dallas jail to await his trial. When his trial took place on May 15, 1916, Washington arrived back in Waco to a packed court room. Twelve white men formed his jury, and they found him guilty of murder after only four minutes of deliberation. A mob had gathered around the courthouse prior to the trial and waited for their chance to capture Washington. After his conviction, the jailers took Washington down the back stairs of the courthouse, where the mob had been waiting. The mob of white citizens wrapped a chain around Washington’s neck and dragged him to city hall grounds, brutally stabbing and beating him as they went along. A separate mob prepared a pile of dry-good b

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This piece is based on a photograph of Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels's face when he found out that the LIFE magazine photographer Mr. Eisenstaedt was Jewish. What's scary about this picture was not because of his murderous look, it's the fact that even a high standing Nazi propaganda minister couldn't tell the difference between a Jew and a German until they were told so, yet they killed millions of Jews based on their ethnicity. The same Jew photographer clicked this photo. It's crazy to think that the society stood by what happened to the Jews yet we would do the same instead of risking our lives. Let's not forget that the nazis also used censorship in the media. The terms they coined to describe their various practices are not only deceptive but they are also chilling. Nazis never used the words ‘kill’ or ‘murder’ in their official communications. Mass killings were termed special treatment, final solution (for the Jews), euthanasia (for the disabl