Here is a local event similar to the happening discussed on page 68 of David Kennedy’s book, Over Here. Anti-German sentiment ran high in an area with a large German population. See below for full story.
Professor of Northland tarred and feathered :: Turning Points in Wisconsin History.
This really is a great find, Dara. An unfortunate episode, but it’ll get a lot of interest on your website.
Wow, this story is so cool (in a sad sort of way)! Thanks for sharing this with us! I love how it parallels so clearly to what Kennedy talks about in his book. I had never imagined that this sort of anti-German sentiment ran so high during WWI, when we didn’t have as large of a stake in the war as we did for WWII. I also think it’s interesting to see the divide between the regular citizens and the “ruling class” in this area of Wisconsin. It seems the regular citizens became vigilantes, but the Mayor and police clearly did not approve of the activity if they were willing to go so far as to offer a $100 reward for any leads. I wonder what this disparity says about the divide in popular sentiments between different classes of people?