✅ SOLVED Lynching photgraph

[oldbattleaxe]

While I have the historical experts on a roll. What would you think was going on here? Mexican American War of a soldier or? Just some thoughts thats all ?

 

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[Gambrinus]

agreed maybe a scene from a spaghetti western

these guys look familiar
View attachment 1807110

the rifle is staged
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My first thought was that it looked like a scene from a 1930s western movie.

 

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[oldbattleaxe]

Those are U.S.Cvalry uniforms with issued rifles, belts and uniforms.

 

[DCMatt]

Those are U.S.Cvalry uniforms with issued rifles, belts and uniforms.

Are those Springfield Trapdoor carbine rifles? If so that would make the photo around 1880 - 90's.

 

[GopherDaGold]

I tried to be a poet and learned I shouldnt doet

You're a poet,
Your feet show it,
They're Longfellows

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

It appears he is being pulled up as hanging and is tied at his knees.

 

[oldbattleaxe]

They are correct DCMatt. I just wanted some thoughts about this scene. I think it is of a real hanging and like one of the members said, the victim is just being hanged while they are pulling him up and was still alive at the time.

 

[Toecutter]

Is that a midget pulling on the rope or a kid?...lol

 

[Toecutter]

Oh I see, hes on one knee...lol

 

[mick56]

I am wondering if the background is a painted drop cloth. It seems like where the ground meets the backdrop, it is a pretty straight line.

 

[Red-Coat]

I’m still unconvinced.

OK, the lynch-mob are hauling the guy up, so that supports a presumption he’s being hanged rather than has been hung. There is also a shallow tangential angle between the telegraph pole and the noose rope, so it must be swinging.

However it must be swinging very gently because the picture is pretty sharp. Note how sharp the shadow of his arm is on the pole too. I would suggest that the reason why the lynch mob look to be in such wooden postures is that they’re been lined up in a single plane of focus and told to stand still for reasons related to the limitations of film sensitivity and camera shutter speed in the age when the pic was taken.

Those same limitations apply to the ‘victim’ too. He can’t be moving in anything more than a very gentle sway. If he was being hung, surely he’d be struggling, creating more movement and more blur? There’s no sign of that at all. Look at his legs too. Sharp. No sign of movement and strapping him above the knees wouldn’t be enough to completely restrict the movement of a struggling victim.

Then look at his face. Mouth closed and no particular sign of distress. Wouldn’t he be struggling for breath? Uttering some noises of distress?

 

[Inspector Comet]

I am wondering if the background is a painted drop cloth. It seems like where the ground meets the backdrop, it is a pretty straight line.

I thought this was real at first, but I now agree with you. There's a clear straight line in the background that clearly demarcates the foreground from the background. Also, towards the left hand side the trees look too far away to be right behind the subjects. Looks like some trees are cutoff. I don't know. It's either real with a very convincing optical illusion going on to make it look fake, or there is a backdrop being used. I'd vote for the movie set theory.

 

[Retired Sarge]

I believe what is seen as a demarcation line is the track bed. If you look to the right side of the picture you see black lines, which I believe to be rails.

I'm torn between real, fake, staged, etc. Trying to find an example of this picture online is like trying to figure out where the grandkids hid toys.

 

[devldog]

I personally believe that Capital Punishment works. For those that disagree, I would ask since Ted Bundy's execution, how many young girls or young ladies has he brutally raped, murdered, tortured, or beheaded? Plus the burden doesn't fall upon the taxpayers to keep these monsters alive in our prisons for years on end. If someone is sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, they may live to be 80 years old in prison. Someone is footing the bill to keep them alive all this time. Guess who that someone is......That's right. JMHO

 

[Retired Sarge]

I personally believe that Capital Punishment works. For those that disagree, I would ask since Ted Bundy's execution, how many young girls or young ladies has he brutally raped, murdered, tortured, or beheaded? Plus the burden doesn't fall upon the taxpayers to keep these monsters alive in our prisons for years on end. If someone is sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, they may live to be 80 years old in prison. Someone is footing the bill to keep them alive all this time. Guess who that someone is......That's right. JMHO

I agree, there are reasons for it, and there are people who deserve it.

 

[freeman]

I agree, it looks like a staged reshooting of probably some real hanging (that wasn't photographed at the time) of a newsworthy train bandit.

Probably then sold as "Real photo of the hanging of that darned bandit......"

 

[Inspector Comet]

I personally believe that Capital Punishment works. For those that disagree, I would ask since Ted Bundy's execution, how many young girls or young ladies has he brutally raped, murdered, tortured, or beheaded? Plus the burden doesn't fall upon the taxpayers to keep these monsters alive in our prisons for years on end. If someone is sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, they may live to be 80 years old in prison. Someone is footing the bill to keep them alive all this time. Guess who that someone is......That's right. JMHO

I completely agree with everything you said. My issue with it is that people make mistakes, which means some small number of people have been convicted of crimes they didn't commit. DNA evidence has exonerated some people after their execution. You can't un-kill someone. If the choices are killing Ted Bundy along with a few innocent people, or paying for Ted's lunch, I'll buy his lunch.

Don't mean to start any big debates though, just my two cents...

 

[Idahodutch]

View attachment 1806988 View attachment 1806989

So, I see a RR crossing, a telegraph/telephone pole?
What I don't see for a candid photo shot, is any blurring.
Everybody might be posed, or perhaps it is a movie still?
Idahodutch

 

[Gambrinus]

There are too many odd things in this photo, besides what has been noted already the guy pointing is actually pointing and seems to be looking at the top of the pole.
The guy holding a rifle is looking at the hanged man's boots, in fact apart from two of the guys pulling on the rope none of them seem to be looking right at the body.
I do believe that they are dressed as Spanish American War Cavalry soldiers.


Col. Theodore Roosevelt and his "Rough Riders" are shown at the top of the hill, which they captured, during the Battle of San Juan, 1898. Photo by William Dinwiddie.

 

[Toecutter]

His hands appear to be tied to his hip around his waist,

also how long would it have taken for the camera to take a photo back then?

 

[Anduril]

I see what looks like a standard railroad crossing sign in the lower left of the photo.

And if so, this is what happens when you try to steal the "Golden Spike".
That would also establish the photograph's time and place: May 10, 1869, Promontory Summit, Utah Territory.

Alas, probably not!