August 29, 1895: Unknown Negro

Today we learn about a man lynched for miscegenation in Mississippi through the pages of The Wilmington Messenger (Wilmington, N. C.) dated August 31, 1895:

A Negro Lynched.

JACKSON, Miss., Aug. 30.—News reached this city last night of the hanging of a negro by a number of indignant citizens of Simpson county. The story as it reaches here is as follows:

John Mulligan, a prosperous farmer in Simpson county, had a handsome daughter 14 years of age, whom he compelled to work in a field with negroes. the daughter became enciente some months ago and charged a neighbor's son with being the cause of her trouble. Last Sunday a child was born to the girl. It was black, and she then confessed that she had been intimate with one of the negro farm hands, who, on learning of the birth of the child, took to the swamps. He was pursued by a crowd of indignant citizens and captured. They took him to a tree and hanged him and then riddled his body with bullets. The body was left dangling to the tree for twenty-four hours, until it was cut down by Sheriff McInnis.

According to another article the lynching occurred in the Strong river swamp. Thank you for joining me and as always, I hope I leave you with something to ponder.