Draft:John T. Meints
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John T. Meints | |
|---|---|
 John Meints after the attack (1918-1919) | |
| Born | July 3, 1862 |
| Died | April 13, 1942 |
| Cause of death | Asphyxiation |
| Body discovered | April 14, 1942 |
| Other names | John Meintz |
| Occupation | farmer |
| Known for | being tarred and feathered during World War I |
John T. Meints Sr. (July 3, 1862 - April 13, 1942) was a German-American farmer who lived in Luverne, Minnesota. On August 19, 1918, he was ambushed by 32 anti-German men who tarred and feathered Meints. Meints filed a lawsuit for $100,000 against the men but was denied.[1][2][3][4]
Early Life
[edit]John Meints was born to German immigrants Tjark Janssen Meints (1830-1907) and Jantje Grabhorn (1826-1916). John worked on his family's farm until 1882, when he met and married Augusta Haas (1862-1935), the couple had 3 children: Tjark Charles Meints (1882-1973), Fred J. Meints (1884-1956), and John J. Meints (1886-1969). After his mother's death in 1916, John was chased out of Iowa by a mob and moved to Denver Township and later Luverne, Minnesota where he was unpopular due to his "disloyalty".[5][1][6][7]
Tar and feather incident
[edit]On August 19, 1918, 54-year-old John Meints was dragged off a train heading to Saint Paul infront of his son Fred Meints, kidnapped, flogged with a rope, and tarred and feathered by 32 Minnesota natives in South Dakota for allegedly not supporting war bonds during the First World War and for financially backing the Nonpartisan League, it was later proven in court that Meints had bought war bonds, saved food stamps, and had contributed time to the American Red Cross, he also claimed in court that he was of Danish and Dutch descent which was false.[2][8] Meints filed legal action against the men at Mankato and the case was overseen by circuit court Judge Wilbur F. Booth in St, Louis, Missouri. Meints requested $100,000 but was denied.[1][2][9][10][11]
Identity of attackers
[edit]John identified one of the attackers as Reverend H. W. Bedford, a Methodist minister working in South St. Paul, along with Leo Connell, Otto Ihlan, and Bert Weiss directly took part in the tarring and flogging.[2] Meints accused several others as being part of the mob including: O. P. Huntington, the President of the First National Bank of Luverne; Otto Steinfeldt, blacksmith; George Michelson, real estate dealer; James Horne, gravestone salesman; A. F. Miner, factory foreman; W. C. Parr real estate dealer; Harry Rodman, Bert Cross, president of the Farmers' National Bank; and L. Woodrow, a retired farmer.[2]
Later years
[edit]He lived in Luverne until 1930 when he moved to Hardwick. On April 12, 1942, John left a coal stove on before he went to sleep and failed to put out the fire, he was found dead in his bed and his death was deemed to be asphyxiation relating to coal gas.[12]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Welter, Ben (2015-11-18). "Nov. 16, 1919: Tarred and feathered". www.startribune.com. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
- ^ a b c d e "Image 8 of The organized farmer (Red Wing, Minn.), September 15, 1921". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
- ^ "[Article]". The Milwaukee leader. 1922-05-14. p. 14. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
- ^ "[Article]". The Sisseton weekly standard. 1919-11-21. p. 2. ISSN 2475-3440. OCLC 43474045. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
- ^ United States 1900 Census
- ^ United States 1910 Census
- ^ United States 1920 Census
- ^ "Image 5 of The nonpartisan leader (Fargo, N.D.), September 19, 1921". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
- ^ Lansing, Michael J. (2016-11-08). Insurgent Democracy: The Nonpartisan League in North American Politics. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-43477-3.
- ^ Segrave, Kerry (2025-04-04). Tarring and Feathering in America: A History, 1865-1920. McFarland. ISBN 978-1-4766-9682-9.
- ^ Migluicci, Dario. “XENOFOBIA ANTIGERMÁNICA EN LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS DURANTE LA GRAN GUERRA.” Historia Social, no. 101, 2021, pp. 61–80. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/48621942. Accessed 7 July 2025.
- ^ "Hardwick Man is Asphyxiated". Sioux City Journal. April 14, 1942. p. 9.