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Justice sought for Native teen lynched by mob in 1884
Friday, February 3, 2006

The story of a Canadian Native teen who was lynched by an American mob for a murder he didn't commit is gaining attention.

In 1884, a mob of non-Indians from Washington crossed the border into British Columbia and hanged Louis Sam, 14, from a tree. Sam had been framed by two American men for the murder of an American shopkeeper, University of Saskatchewan professor Keith Carlson discovered after an investigation.

Carlson was asked to look into the case by elders of the Sto:lo First Nation. They were worried that a string of teen suicides was related to the lack of justice for Sam, who was Sto:lo, more than a century after he was killed. The tribe had repeatedly asked government officials to investigate but were never told the case had been closed.

The saga has now been turned into a documentary, "The Lynching of Louis Sam," that is debuting in Canada. The B.C. government is seeking an apology from Washington state for the lynching.

Get the Story:
Historian's investigation of 1884 lynching made into film (CBC 2/2)

Earlier Story:
B.C. lieutenant governor seeks apology for U.S. lynching of native boy (The Vancouver Sun 12/23)

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