The next story “ The Lynching of Jube Benson” by Dunar was intended more for the a white audience. The story is about three men discussing how it would be to witness a lynching. While the first two are eager to witness one, the third man, a doctor, told them about his first and last lynching ever. Mr. Melville, the doctor, told them how once he became good friends with a “Negro” by the name of Jube. Jube was a good friend and servant and described him as “a faithful dog” (100). When the Doctor took a liking to a girl by the name Annie, whose family owned Jube, Jube began to keep other men away from Annie so that the doctor could have his chance withher. One day the doctor, exhausted from running back and forth due to an outbreak of sickness in town, got sick and was bedridden for some time coming close to death. During that time Jube hardly left his side always attending him and was just there for him, displaying a love which was almost non-existent in that time. The Doctor himself confessed he loved Jube as a friend when he said “ I grew to love him, love him,” (pg101)
Once the doctor got better he started traveling and one day, while passing by Annie’s house, saw a commotion. He ran in to find that Annie, the girl which he planned to marry and settle down with was brutally beaten. When he entered, the men who gathered around Annie made room for the doctor to attend her but she was too far gone. With her last strength she uttered the words “That black– ” before dying in the doctor’s arm. She was trying to describe her killer. The men in a fit of rage wanted to find the killer and when it was mention that Jube, the slave, had been missing he became the murderer by default. The group of men turned into a hunting party and went out in search for him into the woods. When Jube was discovered in the woods he claimed to be on him way to visit his girl but the men in a fit of rage were in no state to hear any reasoning. When they brought him back they should him Annie corpse before hanging him. The doctor himself took part in the lynching. To their dismay Jube’s brother yelled for them to cut him down because he had found the real killer in the barn hiding. But it was too late Jube was dead. The real killer, Tom Skinner, “the worst white ruffian in the town” (104) had painted his face black to “ imitate a Negro’s.”
Dunbar, here, is trying to make whites in America become aware to the fact that no matter how good a African American may be, not matter how much like brothers they can care for each other, as long as whites continue to “false educate” (103) their people with racism, there would never be real brotherhood and peace. This story depicts the prejudice whites had for “negroes” in so many ways.
First, the lynch mob automatically assume Jube was the murder and convicted him before ever seeing him. Just imagine there was literally nothing in the world Jube could have said to save his life. Before and after showing his the corpse. He was guilty in their eyes long before being caught. Of course, it did look suspicious that he was gone but considering how well behaved and how caring he was there were more then enough reasons to at least question the man before hanging him.
Second, when they did finally discover the real killer the reaction was totally different from what Jube experienced. Rather than rushing to hang the real murderer like they did to Jube they just seemed to react pretty claim, still stocked perhaps, but no longer so irate. They just carried the man away probably to jail to be later be tried.
Third, Jube had no evidence present to convict him other than being black and out the house. Yes, Annie did whisper “ That Black–” before she died but there were probably several “negroes” located in the area. And any one could easily imagine that Jube would have still been accused of being the murderer just because he was the closest “negro” to Annie. But when the real killer was shown to be a white guy, who had a “ scratched face” (104) noticeable tangible evidence present on his face alog with the black stuff, then and only then did the doctor finally get the urge to get all scientific about the matter. In fact he even then had time to go check under his microscope and see if it really was a white man’s skin Annie had buried under her nails. Where as before he had no time to doubt and questions to ask while hanging Jube.
Finally, the black face in the end, worn by the killer, just goes to show that even whites were away of their own ability to automatically blame blacks people for whatever the issue. They knew that once they suspected a black person of doing something they pretty much labeled them guilty, little to no questions asked. The killer knowing he could depend on his flaw paint his face black. A trick that would have enabled him to walk away scot free if it weren’t for Jube’s brother finding him in the barn.