Shocking crimes have been taking place since the beginning of time, and happen all throughout the world.  In this article discover the crimes that have taken place in the tri-state area.

The Evansville Race Riot of 1903

The Evansville Race Riot happened in 1903.  It started when Lee Brown, an African American, was drinking at a local saloon and began an argument with the porter, over his drinks.  The porter promptly threw Brown out and, after Brown threated to come back to deal with the matter, informed Lewis Massey.  Massey, a patrolman, was able to locate Brown, and a shoot-out soon occured, leaving both men injured.  By the end of the following day, Massey was pronounced dead and Brown was arrested for the murder of the patrolman.

The incident is reported to have gained attention from its report in the daily newspaper, the Evansville Courier, and caused a greater racial divide in the community, than already existed.  In an attempt to lynch him, a mob stormed the jail in which Brown was being held and forced law officers to secretly relocate Brown to a jail in Vincennes, Indiana.  In the wake of the mobs failure to lynch Brown, it is reported that they instead turned to other African American's in the community.  They destroyed both homes and businesses of African American families, which drove many away from the tri-state area.

The Mad Dog Killer

In the early 1950's, Leslie Irvin, who came to be known as Leslie "Mad Dog" Irvin or "The Mad Dog Killer," terrorized the southwestern portion of Indiana.  Irvin took the lives of half a dozen people between December 2, 1954 and April 8, 1955, when he was finally arrested after his cars description was mentioned in a local paper.

Irving's first victim was Mrs. Mary Holland, who was a 33-year-old expecting mother.  Holland was found murdered on December 2, 1954 in the bathroom of a liquor store she owned and operated with her husband, on Bellemeade Avenue.  Her hands were bound behind her back.  Two days before Christmas that same year, on December 23, another victim, Wesley Kerr, was found in a gasoline station off of U.S. 41 North, where he worked early in the morning.  Kerr was also found in the bathroom with his hands tied behind his back.

After the first two murders, Irving disappeared for some time.  For three months the community began to settle back into normality, until, on March 21, 1955, Wilhelmina Sailer, a 47-year-old housewife was found dead by her 7-year-old son.  Then again, on March 28 in Henderson County, KY., Goebel Duncan and two family members were found dead.  Duncan's wife, Mamie, survived the killer, though she was left blinded and in critical condition.  It is reported that Shirley Faye, the Duncan's 2-year-old granddaughter, was spared.  After the Duncan family murder, police came about their first solid clue.  Local residents who had seen Irvin, as well as his car, were able to provide police with a detailed description of both the man and the automobile.

Irvin was arrested and later confessed to his crimes.  In December of 1955, Irving was found guilty and it was recommended he be executed in the electric chair.  A date for death was scheduled for June 12.  In late January he shockingly was able to escape from jail and the houses of a Prosecutor, an assistant, the Evansville Chief of Detectives, and Irvin's mother were put under 24-hour guard.  Police captured Irvin on February 9, in downtown San Francisco.  Upon his return home, Irvin was granted a stay of execution until December 1, 1956, after his attorneys argued his trial was held in a biased and prejudice atmosphere.  By July 9, 1957, Irvin was granted an indefinite stay of execution, reportedly five hours before his scheduled trip to the death chambers.

On November 9, 1960, Irving's case was accepted by the U.S. Supreme Court who ordered a new trial.  According to documents, it marked the first time the high court overturned a conviction because of pretrial publicity, and ultimately altered the way newspapers, radio and television covered criminal cases, as well as the way that authorities released information.  Irvin was found guilty again, and spent the rest of his life in the Indiana State Prison where he died on November 9, 1983.

If you would like to read a more in-depth article on Leslie Irvin, you may visit here.