Minnesota's Pardon Board clears way for posthumous pardon in case that sparked lynching

Max Mason was one of several black circus workers accused of sexually assaulting a 19-year-old Duluth woman in 1920. Three were lynched from a lightpole by an angry mob of residents. Only two went to trial, and Mason, then 21, was the only one convicted in a case that has been mired in controversy ever since.

On Monday, Minnesota's Board of Pardons, including Gov. Tim Walz, approved a request that could clear the way for Mason's eventual posthumous pardon, a move supporters say would restore justice for a man they believe was falsely accused in a "horrific and shameful episode in Minnesota history."

http://www.startribune.com/undoing-the-harm-minnesota-pardon-board-weighs-rape-conviction-tied-to-1920-lynching/566261762/