Under a huge front-page picture, the New York Amsterdam News, Negro weekly, last week published a long caption dealing with lynching No. 7 of 1930, which occurred three weeks ago at Chickasha, Okla. (TIME, June 9). Excerpts : "The Amsterdam News is able to present this picture of the type of United States citizens whose words are law in Texas and other parts of the South. Mrs. W. G. Skinner, photographed above with her husband and two-year-old child, accused Henry Argo of attempting criminal assault upon her, for which 'accusation' Argo was fired on by members of a mob . . . and stabbed by Skinner. . . . An investigator later disclosed the fact that Argo was accused by the woman because he repulsed an attack by the Skinner's dog while he was fishing in a nearby stream. Skinner was arrested and released on his own recognizance."
The Skinners last week denounced this story as an absolute lie. They said Argo held Mrs. Skinner for 30 minutes, started to choke the 10-month-old Skinner child when it cried out. All Chickasha's officials and white citizens believe the Skinners.