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This is a sandbox for the future article - Alonzo Tucker

Alonzo Tucker


The only documented lynching in Oregon's history occurred on the morning of September 18, 1902 in what was Marshfield, Oregon now part of Coos Bay. The previous day Mrs. Ben Dennis of Libby, Oregon (also now part of Coos Bay) had finished her business in Marshfield that and upon arriving home reported that she had been attacked and raped. She accused Alonzo Tucker, an African-American who had been in the area for some time and had recently opened a "School of Physical Culture" offering baths of several kinds and massage for those inclined less than a month previous. He had presented himself as a prizefighter and a graduate of Professor Van Court, director of the Olympic Athletic Club in San Francisco, California. When Sherriff

On September 18, 1902, the only lynching ever to be documented in Oregon occurred in Coos Bay, of Alonzo Tucker, an African American man. He was accused of raping a white woman and escaping from jail. However, there is no record of his escape from jail. According to newspaper accounts, Tucker was discovered by two young boys who began shooting him with airguns. After a brief pursuit, local miners apprehended Tucker who was hiding inside a store. The mob considering hanging him inside the store but decided to return him to the site of the alleged rape at a nearby bridge. Tucker was shot twice and then hung from the 7th Street bridge, which spanned present-day Golden Field, where high school soccer games are now held. No charges were ever brought against the mob as officials determined "the deceased came to his death at the hands of parties unknown while resisting arrest for a felony, and that no crime was committed thereby." Despite this claim that those in the mob were unknown, the participation of multiple people, including the husband of the alleged rape victim, was noted in local newspapers. One newspaper at that time reported the mob was "quiet and orderly" and another paper wrote, "'Well done' is the consensus of public opinion." Alonzo Tucker's cause of death was asphyxiation. According to the coroner's report, cause of death was blood loss from the gunshot wound in Tucker's right thigh, in which case he died before being hanged on the Marshfield bridge.

= Sources =
 * Three elderly men were interviewed by Dinah Adkins, reporter for The World in 1974. - https://theworldlink.com/news/local/remembering-coos-county-s-black-history-event-to-memorialize-alonzo-tucker-s-lynching-in-1902/article_08a8875d-caec-503a-8c81-54c4ad013062.html
 * Is this her? ---> https://inbia.org/awards-2018/
 * This mention of her in this article implies she lives in Portland in 2016 - https://willamettewriters.org/event/willamette-writers-newport-meeting-2016-april/
 * Her Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/dinah.adkins/about

Lynching

 * Full page article of the lynching. September 18, 1902 - https://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/sn96088440/1902-09-20/ed-1/seq-5/
 * Additional Report - https://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/sn2002060538/1902-09-27/ed-1/seq-1/
 * The San Francisco call September 18, 1902 Image 2 - Article was current for the night before. They had found him after this went to press. https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85066387/1902-09-18/ed-1/seq-2/
 * Myrtle Point Advantage - Pretty uch the same article, but it does make reference that Alonzo Tucker had been "on the bay for some time."- https://myrtlepoint.advantage-preservation.com/viewer/?k=b%20c%20dennis&i=f&d=01011870-12312010&m=between&ord=k1&fn=myrtle_point_enterprise_usa_oregon_myrtle_point_19020919_english_4&df=1&dt=10
 * Reprinted article from the "Florence West" - Terrible scan, can not read it but it appears to support that Alonzo was innocent. This same paper can be read behind one of the paywalls - https://myrtlepoint.advantage-preservation.com/viewer/?k=tucker&i=f&by=1902&bdd=1900&d=01011870-12312010&m=between&ord=k1&fn=myrtle_point_enterprise_usa_oregon_myrtle_point_19021010_english_4&df=1&dt=5
 * Essay - https://www.walidah.com/blog/2020/10/26/essay-on-oregon-black-history-amp-alonzo-tucker

Boxing

 * The San Francisco call January 15, 1900 Image 6 - Championship Bout, ends in Tucker winning by DQ for excessive fouling. - https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85066387/1900-01-15/ed-1/seq-6
 * The San Francisco call February 28, 1901 Image 4 - Exhibition (?) bout - 5 rounds to a draw. - https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85066387/1901-02-28/ed-1/seq-4
 * The San Francisco call June 06, 1900 Image 4 -Exhibition (tryout) bout, 4 rounds, draw. - https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85066387/1900-06-06/ed-1/seq-4

Why Oregon?

 * November 13th 1897 - Myrtle Point Enterprise - Report of a "Doe Tucker", a colored gambler being shot by a Miss Sadie Thompson, also a colored of the disreputable class after he tried twice to kill her with a razor. On the second attempt she shot him in the chest at point blank range. A relative?  Daddy? - https://myrtlepoint.advantage-preservation.com/viewer/?k=tucker&i=f&d=01011870-12312010&m=between&ord=k1&fn=myrtle_point_enterprise_usa_oregon_myrtle_point_18971113_english_2&df=1&dt=10
 * Sept 21, 1901 Article about the YMCA paying its indebtedness an remaining open - https://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/sn96088440/1901-09-21/ed-1/seq-1/#words=Y.M.C.A
 * Nov 16, 1901 - Article declaring the YMCA dead - https://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/sn96088440/1901-11-16/ed-1/seq-2/
 * Same issue two pages in, its posessions were liquidated. - https://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/sn96088440/1901-11-16/ed-1/seq-4
 * Aug 23, 1902 - Announcement of Tucker's Gym and he is a graduate of "Prof. Van Court - https://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/sn96088440/1902-08-23/ed-1/seq-6

Van Court

 * De Witt Van Court is fired from the Acme Althletic club, of which he was a life member and the founder of the club. - https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85066387/1896-06-12/ed-1/seq-13

The Dennis's

 * Is this the right man? - https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/74131835/benjamin-cross-dennis
 * She has a sister. - https://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/sn96088154/1908-08-13/ed-1/seq-5/#words=B+C+Dennis
 * One mention of youngest son Elmer (Eugene) Dennis in Oregon. DOB: 03/20/1901 and would have been 15 at the time. - https://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/sn96088158/1916-05-25/ed-1/seq-5/#words=Dennis+Elmer

= Unread Sources (paywall) =
 * LA Times Name Search List 3 mentions - https://latimes.newspapers.com/search/#query=Alonzo+Tucker&t=4312
 * Redding Newspapers - Multiple mentions - https://www.genealogybank.com/explore/newspapers/all/usa/california/redding?fname=Alonzo&lname=Tucker&rgfromDate=&rgtoDate=&formDate=&formDateFlex=exact&dateType=range&kwinc=&kwexc=