In 1915, in Mississippi, a barn was set on fire. The white owner, Gabe Frank, sent bloodhounds to find who was responsible for the act, but the hounds were not able to pick up a sent.

However, Frank had a suspicion of who might be to blame. He had no proof, he was just going on a hunch feeling. The white community banned together and blamed the incident on Cordella Stevenson’s son. Stevenson tried to explain that her son had not been living at home for months but there had to be an escaped goat, unfortunately, her son was it.

Cordella was questioned for six days by the police about her son’s whereabouts and his involvement in the crime. She and her husband, Arch, were finally released from custody but had no idea their lives would never be the same again.

On December 15, 1915, at approximately 10 pm, a group of white men forced their way into the Stevenson’s home. Guns were aimed at Arch Stevenson’s head, and the men dragged Cordelia Stevenson outside her home.

Arch Stevenson managed to escape running into town to get the police. However, he never returned home, he just ran off. Cordella’s body was found hanging from a tree. According to witnesses, she was brutally sexually assaulted before her death. No one was ever convicted of the murder of Cordella Stevenson.

Source:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/03/30/1286499/-The-strange-fruit-was-often-female