OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - This day in 1919 marked one of the darkest chapters of Omaha’s history.

Will Brown, a black man, was accused of assaulting a white woman.

While he sat in the Douglas County Courthouse jail, an angry mob gathered outside, demanding he be turned over to them.

The 41-year-old Brown claimed his innocence, but the mob didn’t want to wait for a trial.

They stormed the courthouse, grabbed Brown, hanged him from a light pole, and set him on fire.

The Mayor at the time, Edward Parsons Smith, was severely injured trying to intervene.

Today, you can still see buckshot drilled into the marble at the courthouse, and there’s now a historical marker outside near where Brown was killed.

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