Board’s Approval Could Lead to Review of 1924 Pardon Request

ST. PAUL (AP) -- Minnesota's Board of Pardons has approved a request that could lead to a posthumous pardon for a man convicted of sexually assaulting a Duluth woman in
1920.

Max Mason was among a group of black circus workers accused in the assault. Three were lynched from a light pole by an angry mob of local residents. Two others went to trial and Mason was the only one convicted. His supporters believe he was falsely accused and say a pardon would restore justice in a ``horrific and shameful episode in Minnesota history.''

The board's vote could open the door for another review of Mason's original pardon request which was denied in 1924.