page_title: Springfield race riot of 1908
section_title: Released
hierarchical_section_title: Springfield race riot of 1908 / Fate of Richardson and James / George Richardson / Released
caption_attribution_description: English: Illinois State Journal
context_page_description: The Springfield race riot of 1908 were events of mass racial violence committed against African Americans by a mob of about 5,000 white Americans and European immigrants in Springfield, Illinois, between August 14 and 16, 1908. Two black men had been arrested as suspects in a rape, and attempted rape and murder. The alleged victims were two young white women and the father of one of them. When a mob seeking to lynch the men discovered the sheriff had transferred them out of the city, the whites furiously spread out to attack black neighborhoods, murdered black citizens on the streets, and destroyed black businesses and homes. The state militia was called out to quell the rioting.
  The riot, trials and aftermath are said to be one of the most well-documented examples of the complex intersection of race, class, and criminal justice in the United States. In 2008 an NPR report on the centenary of the race riot said that the fact of its taking place in a Northern state, specifically in "The Land of Lincoln", demonstrated that blacks were mistreated across the country, not just in the South, and described the event as a proxy for the story of race in America.
context_section_description: When Richardson was in jail, expert doctors examined him and concluded that he had "no connection with her [Mabel Hallam] in any way."  This was concluded as Mabel Hallam was afflicted with a sexually transmitted infection (STI), born from her alleged rape, of which Richardson "was not affected."
  Shortly before this revelation, Rolla Keyes, the witness that Hallam procured to support her accusation against Richardson, was accidentally shot by 14-year-old Harold McLaughlin when a revolver they he was playing with accidentally discharged while he, Keyes, and 16-year old [Albert] Chester Brown were out fishing. Keys was white, along with Harold and Chester, who lived on N. Fifth Street and North Fourth Street, respectively.  Because he was a key Grand Jury witness for Hallam, his shooting upset many whites as rumors spread that he was shot by a black man as vengeance for testifying against Richardson.  There was a fear that whites would again attacks blacks, with some proclaiming, "It's time to get after those niggers again.  We'll have to go out and hang some more of them."  However, the boys helped quell the pending attacks by providing more details about the accident and stipulating their fear of reporting it, as they, too, thought, it could lead to rumors that could incite more white violence.  Following the shooting, no further news stories on Rolla were produced.
  After Hallam was made aware of Richardson's medical examination, two weeks after Richardson had been indicted, she recanted her accusation about him and, on September 1, then accused "Ralph Burton," who she alleged to be the 19-year-old son of the lynched, Scott Burton.  Hallam stated she was certain young Burton, who was rumored to be in Wichita was her attacker:
  The negro who assaulted me was shorter and stouter than my husband, who is five feet six inches, and weighs about 135 pounds.  I could not tell whether the fellow was light or dark-skinned, so frightened was I by what was happening.  I positively know Richardson did not commit the crime and am not backward in acknowledging the mistake.  But if the right negro is brought before me I would be able to identify him beyond a doubt in a short time.
  However, Scott Burton's son, Charles, and wife, Kate, told authorities that Burton had no such son.
  With Hallam no longer pressing charges, George Richardson was released from jail without incident. He received no restitution or apology for his time away from work or harm to his name.  He went on to work as a janitor, and lived until he was 76, when he died at St. John's Hospital.  His obituary did not mention the events of 1908.
caption: Illinois State Journal
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