Tuesday, January 27, 2015

January 27, 1914: Ben Dickerson, Jim Wilson and Wilmer T. Potts

Today I am presenting three different lynchings all on the same day. The first lynching takes place in Oklahoma and we learn about it through the pages of The Scranton Republican (Scranton, Pennsylvania) dated January 28, 1914:

NEGRO SLAYER IS LYNCHED.

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla., Jan. 27.—Ben Dickerson, negro, who robbed and murdered W. A. Chaffin, traveling salesman here Sunday evening, was lynched near Noble, twenty-five miles south, at daylight today.


The next two take place in North Carolina and Pennsylvania. They are both found in the pages of the Reading Times (Reading, Pennsylvania) dated January 28, 1914:

NEGRO IS LYNCHED.

Raleigh, N. C., Jan. 27.—Jim Wilson, a negro, charged with the murder of Mrs. W. M. Lynch, at Wendell, N. C., today was lynched by a mob near that place.


NEGRO LYNCHED.

West Chester, Pa., Jan. 27.—Wilmer T. Potts, colored, aged 19 years, was hanged here today for the murder of his wife in Coatsville more than a year ago. Twice Potts received a respite and commutation of sentence was hoped for up to the last moment.

This was the last hanging to take place in this county.


I believe the last sentence meant to say it was the first. It doesn't seem important to comment that it is the last hanging when only a day had passed. Thank you for joining me and as always, I hope I leave you with something to ponder.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.