In 1924, Minnesota Congressman Harold Knutson and his companion Leroy Hull were arrested in a parked car in Arlington, Virginia. Newspapers never said exactly what the “grave charge” referred to in the photograph’s title was—although the legal charge was bribery, the underlying social transgression appeared to be that the men had a sexual relationship. Knutson was grilled by lawyers, and other Representatives took the stand to provide character testimony. Knutson was found not guilty by the jury, and the charges against Hull were dropped.
