Wednesday, May 20, 2015

May 20, 1903: Amos Randall, Dan Kennedy and Harry Golden

Today we learn about a triple lynching in Florida through the pages of The Gaffney Ledger (Gaffney, S. C.) dated May 22, 1903:

FLORIDA MOB TAKES SUMMARY REVENGE

One White Man and Two Negroes Lynched.

MULBERRY SCENE OF TRAGEDY.

Parties Who Ambushed and Murdered Barney Brown on Lonely Road in Polk County Are Riddled With Bullets.

Tampa, Fla., May 20.—Amos Randall, white; Dan Kennedy and Henry Golden, negroes, were lynched at Mulberry, Polk county, 30 miles from here early this morning for the murder of Barney Brown, a prominent white man.

Randall was charged with being the operator of a "blind tiger," and Brown was a prominent advocate of prohibition in the campaign which ended yesterday.

Monday night, while Brown was en route to his home he was shot from ambush and afterwards had his throat cut.

People of Mulberry became enraged and yesterday secured evidence which led them to believe that Randall had employed the negroes to kill Brown. The three men were taken in custody and one of the negroes confessed that Randall hired them to commit the crime.

The trio were taken out about 3 o'clock this morning and lynched, their bodies being riddled with bullets.

It is said the work was done by a mob of about 50 unmasked men, many said to be the most prominent in the county.


In case you had never heard of a blind tiger (I didn't until about a year and a half ago), Merriam-Webster defines blind tiger as a place that sells intoxicants illegally. The first known use of blind tiger was in 1857. Thank you for joining me and as always, I hope I leave you with something to ponder.

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