Michael J. Worden’s “Lynched By A Mob” is a true crime accounting of a horrific event that occurred 130 years ago in the author’s hometown of Port Jervis, NY. This incident has long been a stain in Port Jervis history that, until now, has carried many missing details and misconceptions forward. The life, lynching, and lack of justice for resident Robert Lewis (Jackson) are painstakingly recounted in the chapters of this extensively researched, well-written book. The author, a retired detective, left no stone unturned. His retelling of the incident is factual, source-documented, and presented as the horrific crime that it clearly was. Through words, photographs, and reproduced archives, the author takes readers into the lives of real-life characters, the historical setting, and actions leading up to, during, and following a brutal mob beating and lynching on June 2, 1892. The chapters are captivating and insightful, and divided for easier reading, from the opening setting through today’s still unserved justice and story archives. Mr. Worden’s book reveals details long deserved and needed, but unpublished until now. Times were different then, yet this book gives the reader a lot to digest and think about. As the author notes, the mob was comprised of “ordinary men who lived otherwise ordinary lives” until they became part of something “that most would have thought of as being inconceivable.” If you are a true crime buff, or just a citizen seeking accuracy about a horrendous part of Port Jervis history and human behavior, this is a riveting book we highly recommend.
Charlene Lehn & Sharon Siegel Port Jervis Newsroom
