A Murder for a Circus Ticket. In 1877, a magnificent circus came to town. Two ex-convicts murdered a 62-year-old man and robbed him to finance their visit. The crime horrified the community and led to a lynching. The newspaper reports clearly declared this to be a response to the outlawry plaguing the city. Now, 146 years later, a group of revisionists has imagined that racism was the real motivation despite having nothing to back up their accusation. And, there is enormous evidence against it. Racism or rough justice? That is the question the city of Santa Cruz should have asked before approving a new monument that will declare a historical incident to be racially motivated. Rewriting history demands evidence and insight, not just wild imagination. Interview with author and historian Casey Tefertiller.
