Americans have heard the story of lynchings in the American South.

We know the legacy of racial discrimination and slavery. 

Americans know the complex issue of race--as well as they know themselves.

St. Louis, Missouri has been the scene of slave markets, race riots, and civil rights demonstrations. 

Most St. Louisans have heard the stories of their past. 

This is a story that no one has heard.

On the cold night of Wednesday, January 17th, 1894--a group of over 100 citizens of St. Louis County, Missouri committed an act of crime. 

In the privacy of the public square, and over the glistening waters of the Meramec River--they committed a crime in the name of Justice--and by doing so, became a whisper in the shadow of Judge Lynch,

and in the forgotten volumes of American History.