The Shame of the Buckeye State: Journalistic Complacency on Episodic Lynching in Ohio from 1872 to 1932 A thesis presented to the faculty of the Scripps College of Communication of Ohio University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Science Claire M. Rounkles December 2020 © 2020 Claire M. Rounkles. All Rights Reserved. This thesis titled The Shame of the Buckeye State: Journalistic Complacency on Episodic Lynching in Ohio from 1872 to 1932 by CLAIRE M. ROUNKLES has been approved for the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism and the Scripps College of Communication by Aimee C. Edmondson Associate Professor of Journalism Scott Titsworth Dean, Scripps College of Communication Abstract ROUNKLES, CLAIRE M., M.S., December 2020, Journalism The Shame of the Buckeye State: Journalistic Complacency on Episodic Lynching in Ohio from 1872 to 1932 Director of Thesis: Aimee C. Edmondson The lynching era in Ohio lasted from 1803 to 1937. During these years thirty-five people died at the hands of a lynch mob and seventy-nine escaped from a mob’s clutches. This thesis situates the history of lynching in Ohio from 1872 to 1932 and discusses the issue of complacent journalism in the Ohio press through a study of twenty-four cases of white-on-white lynching and racial terror lynching. This thesis shows that lynching was employed as a means to enact fear to keep Black Ohioans in a marginalized position and prevent them from prospering economically or politically. The author also argues that journalists were not objective bystanders but were key to the social voice and national conversation that accepted the practice of lynching in America. By utilizing the concept of critical race theory, the author shows that the racist ideal of Whiteness was able to become hidden by seemingly objective reporting, thus allowing the mainstream press to accept the practice of lynching without the guilt of unlawful “justice.” There is also a paucity of research on Harry C. Smith, a Black journalist who pushed for the first anti-lynching law in Ohio. As such, this research aims to make a significant impact not only on the literature involving northern lynchings but also in the history of Ohio and the need to understand its dark past. In 2020 this historical research hold saliency regarding the racial violence which continues today in America. iii Dedication In remembrance of Grandma June who taught me the true meaning of compassion and unconditional love. And to my family and mentors who kept believing in me. iv Acknowledgments I would like to acknowledge my amazing advisor, Dr. Aimee Edmondson. Thank you for inspiring and encouraging me to step out of my comfort zone of writing. I would have surely failed without your support and patience in the editing process. I am forever indebted to you for putting up with my constant inquiry on research and advice in teaching. To Dr. Mike Sweeney, who introduced the power of history and research, I am forever grateful for everything you taught me. And to Dr. Marilyn Greenwald, I was truly blessed to learn from you during our time working together. A special thanks to my Scripps family: Bailey Dick, Natascha Toft Roelsgaard, Yasmeen Ebada, Irma Omerhodzic, and Michelle Michael. I will forever appreciate the coffee dates and Sunday Casa brunch. To my parents, thank you for the love and support these many years. This academic journey hasn’t been the easiest to handle but thanks for sticking with me this far. v Table of Contents Page Abstract .............................................................................................................................. iii Dedication .......................................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgments ............................................................................................................... v Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 1: Literature Review .............................................................................................. 8 Chapter 2: White on White Summary Justice (1872 – 1876) ........................................... 41 Chapter 3: Racial Terror Lynching (1877 – 1932) ........................................................... 63 Chapter 4: Analysis of the Mainstream Press ................................................................. 120 Chapter 5: Analysis of the Cleveland Gazette ................................................................ 152 Chapter 6: Conclusion ..................................................................................................... 165 References ....................................................................................................................... 174 Appendix A ..................................................................................................................... 194 Appendix B ..................................................................................................................... 200 Appendix C ..................................................................................................................... 201 Appendix D ..................................................................................................................... 203 Appendix E. .................................................................................................................... 204 vi Introduction A group of “outraged” citizens from all parts of Adams County, Ohio, quietly gathered for a “united movement” to seek swift justice after the horrific murder of an elderly White couple in southern Ohio.1 The suspect of the murder in 1894 was a black, sixteen-year-old boy named Roscoe Parker. The Commercial Gazette, a daily newspaper in Cincinnati, Ohio, was notified of the gathering and its focus of taking Parker to “Judge Lynch” for punishment.2 Only a select few were informed of this gathering in order to avoid suspicion from the local authorities. The leaders of the lynch mob sent out messengers across the county to spread the news, keeping the plan so quiet among the men that “not even their wives were trusted with the secret of the self-constituted regulators.”3 However, the Commercial Gazette decided to send reporters to “experience” this event rather than notifying the authorities in the Adams County seat of West Union in southwest Ohio.4 In an article that retold the “adventure,” the newspaper correspondent who viewed the hanging of Roscoe Parker stated: It is just a question whether the privilege of attending such an affair is one to be sought or shunned, but certain it is that it is an experience, which is not often afforded.5 A day after the mob killed Parker, the Commercial Gazette retold the great lengths that the reporters and staff took to get to West Union, fifty-five miles from Cincinnati, in order to witness the lynching in one of the many articles published on this episode. The way that journalists covered this case in the 1890s would have been considered normal at the time, as the complacent role that journalists had during the 1 lynching period has previously been noted by media historians.6 However, what followed the lynching was unique. The trial of Roscoe Parker that was supposed to happen before his murder still took place after his death—but with a different judge. Moreover, at this trial, the judge presiding over the case not only called for the case to be reviewed but also to indict everyone who was present at the lynching for murder. With these indictment charges, the judge specifically called out the journalists who knew that the lynching would take place and did nothing to prevent it. Also notable, weeks after Parker’s lynching, the first anti-lynching law in Ohio was passed by the Ohio House of Representatives. It became law in 1896, holding counties legally and financially responsible for lynchings in their jurisdiction, and is viewed as the leading anti-lynching law to pass in the North in the 1890s.7 Unlike the case of Roscoe Parker where a judge specifically called out the complicity of journalists in the lynch mob, the conduct of and content created by Ohio journalists has yet to be studied by media historians. This thesis, through an examination of twenty five cases of lynching in Ohio from 1872 to 1932, shows that lynching was initially used as a White-on-White form of summary justice, and later evolved into racial terror lynching of Black men by White mobs.8 Second, it shows how mainstream newspapers reported on lynching in Ohio. The thesis also situates the Black-owned Cleveland Gazette and its owner, Harry C. Smith, as a prominent figure in the promotion and fight for anti-lynching legislation in Ohio. This thesis also argues that the Cleveland Gazette was the most significant publication in Ohio to report that the use of lynching as a form of racial terrorism. This thesis is rooted in 2 historical research methods and employs critical race theory to understand the usage of journalistic objectivity to perpetuate racial bias. Chapter 1 serves as an introduction to Ohio race history and provides a clear definition for lynching in terms of distinguishing its initial form of White-on-White vigilantism justice to its evolution as a tool for racial terror to control the Black community. Through an examination of existing literature, this chapter also discusses mainstream newspaper coverage of lynching as well as