Without Sanctuary
Lynching Photography in America
The lynching of J. L. Compton and Joseph Wilson, vigilantes. April 30, 1870. Helena, Montana.
Lithographed postcard. Printed 1920-1930. 3 1/2 x 5 1/2" Printed inscription in upper right hand corner reads, "Hangman's Tree, Helena Montana." Another version of this card states, "More than twenty men were hanged upon this tree during the early days."
A one-thousand-member vigilance committee accused the two men of shooting and robbing an old man named George Lenhart. Their fate was decided on the courthouse steps by mock trial, because “the law was tedious, expensive, and uncertain.”
When law officers interrupted the proceedings, they were imprisoned by the mob.
