Washington County Texas.

In 1886 in eastern Texas, Democrats were determed to keep the political control that they had only won in 1884 through fraud.Masked Democrats tried to seize ballot boxes in a Republicans precinct.But armed black men reisted and, with a shotgun blast, killed of the white men.Eight black were arrested.A mob of white men disguise broke into the jail,kidnapped three of the black men, and lynched them.Three white Republicans fled for their lives but convinced federal authrorities to investigate.The U.S. Attorney twice tried to secure convinctions for election fraud.The first trial ended in a hung jury,the second in an acquittal.The white Democratic sheriff did not investigate the lynching.But the black man charged with firing the shotgun was sentenced to twenty five years in prison.