Murder of Mingo Jack

In March 1886 in the quiet town of Eatontown, New Jersey, a brutal beating and rape took place of a young white woman named Angelina Herbert. She implicated an elderly African American man named Mingo Jack in the crime. The townspeople wanted vengeance and lynched Mingo Jack before he could even be questioned. What followed was an inquest to find the murderers and an attempt to prove Mingo Jack was not guilty of the crime. Was Mingo Jack guilty of the assault against Angelina Herbert or was it a case of mistaken identity? Largely forgotten, this story will be fascinating to anyone interested in the history of New Jersey.