Carrigan notes that Washington's death may have received more public attention than any other lynching in the United States, and sees the event as a "turning point in the history of mob violence in Central Texas".
卡里根指出，华盛顿的死可能比美国发生的其他私刑事件吸引到了更多的公众关注，他将这起事件视为“德克萨斯中部群体暴力史上的转折点”。