December 24, 1871: George Duncan

Today's lynching is very short as every article I could find on this lynching shared the same information. Our paper today is the Pittsburgh Daily Commercial (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) dated December 30, 1871:

Homicide and Lynching in Kentucky

CINCINNATI, O., December 29.—Last Friday evening, says a correspondent of the Times and Chronicle, a man named Browning, accompanied by others, went to the house of George Duncan, a colored man, in Braxton county, Kentucky, to whip the latter, or eject him from the house. Duncan showed fight, and on the door being broken down by his assailants he fired into the crowd, killing Browning. Duncan was captured and taken to the Brookville jail in his shirt and drawers. Sunday night at nine o'clock fifty-two disguised armed men took him from the jail and started in the direction of Powersville. Duncan made an effort to escape, but was recovered and finally hung to a tree a mile and a half from Brookville. There was great excitement in the place on Monday, and it was not easy to procure information.

A quick note: the Brookville mentioned is actually Brooksville, Kentucky which is in Bracken County. Some papers did have it listed as Bracken, some as Braxton. One Indiana paper, in a piece on lynching in Indiana, stated that the Brookville lynching was only an attempt but I could find no other papers to support that claim. Also Brookville is very clearly in Kentucky, on the Ohio side at that, and not in Indiana so I suspect the editor was mistaken. 

Thank you for joining us, and as always, we hope we leave you with something to ponder.

August 13,1871: Unnamed

Hello, everyone. A has found that the Sam Hose lynching has several layers that she wants to display in detail. But, since Sam Hose makes our 1000th person lynched and there are more victims coming to light every time we search for information on the ones we are currently covering, it is important to cover those other victims of lynching. I will be posting on several of the lynchings I have found at least once a week. I tried my hardest to find a name for today's victim but was unsuccessful. I also am unsure if he was lynched on the 13th or the 14th. The articles do not mention if he was lynched the day that the girl went missing, the 12th, and the papers conflict on the method of lynching as well. I have said the 13th but could be off a few days. I do not know if he was guilty or not, most of the articles give the exact same information and it is sorely lacking in detail. With that said, I'll point your attention to our first article which is from the Titusville Herald (Titusville, Pennsylvania) and is dated August 21, 1871:

A Negro Lynched—Murder—Rape.

LOUISVILLE, August 19.

The negro who outraged and murdered the little girl near Fulton Station, Herkimer county [sic], a few days since, was taken from jail on the night of his arrest, shot through seven times, and left for dead. The next morning he was found sitting up and was taken to jail and his wounds dressed, but afterwards the citizens took him out and hung him. He had confessed his crime at the examining trial.

Our next paper is from the Hickman Courier (Hickman, Kentucky) dated August 19, 1871:

A Fiendish Act by a Negro.
________
A White Girl Outraged and Killed.
_____

We hear of a most fiendish act which occurred on Saturday last, in that portion of Hickman county, known as the Potato patch. It appears that a young daughter of Esq Thomas Beunet[sic], a well known and much respected citizen of that locality, was outraged and killed by an old negro man in the employ of the family. The young daughter was between 14 and 15 years of age, beautiful in person and dearly beloved not only by her parents and relatives, but by her entire acquaintance. On Saturday, this young daughter went into the orchard, some distance from the house, alone, for the purpose of getting some fruit, whither the negro followed her, and after accomplishing his hellish purpose on her person, strangled her to death, and threw her body into a pond near by. The girl being missed for sometime, search was commenced by her friends and neighbors, the negro who committed the deed joining in the search. Someone remembered to have seen the negro in the orchard about the time she started for the fruit, and suspicion was thus aroused. He acknowledged that he outraged her person and then murdered her, and threw her in the pond. The imprints of his hands were yet upon her face, and other marks of her violation. The officers attempted to take him to jail, but some indignant person present shot him, and it was thought killed him, but it appears the shot was not fatal, as the officers afterwards took him to jail at Clinton. On Saturday night, we hear, the negro died in jail, whether from the shots received or from additional shots, we know not; but, our own judgement is he should have been burnt alive.

Our next article is from The Tennessean (Nashville, Tennessee) published August 18, 1871:

An Atrocious Crime by a Negro Fiend.

LOUISVILLE, August 17—A fiendish murder, accompanied by circumstances of the most horrible atrocity, has come to light in the southern part of the State. Last Saturday a little girl, aged 10 years, daughter of 'Squire Thomas Bennett, living near Fulton Station, the Paducah and Gulf Railroad, at dividing line between Kentucky and Tennessee, was missing from home and anxious search was made for her but in vain. Suspicion at length rested upon a negro who had been working for Mr. Bennett since the war, and he was arrested but escaped, and was shot and recaptured. Becoming frightened he confessed that he had attempted to commit a rape on the child, but finding her too small, first choked her to death and then accomplished his infamous purpose, after which he threw the body in a pond and returned to the house to join in the search for her. At last accounts the incarnate fiend was in custody of the citizens, but is probably lynched by this time.

As you can tell, there is also some doubt as to how the man was lynched as well. Our final article is from The Jackson County Banner (Brownstown, Indiana) published August 31, 1871:

...A negro who outraged and murdered a little girl, near Fulton station, Hickman county, KY., a few days since, was taken from jail on the night of his arrest, shot through seven times, and left for dead. Next morning he was found sitting up, was taken to jail and his wounds dressed, but afterward the citizens took him out and hung him. He had confessed his crime......

Thank you for joining us, and as always, we hope we leave you with something to ponder.

August 8, 1871: Harry Johnson and Washington

Today we'll be looking at the lynchings of two men in Frankfort, Kentucky. The first lynching was of Harry Johnson, reported in The Cincinnati Enquirer (Cincinnati, Ohio) dated August 5, 1871

LOUISVILLE
———
A LADY BRUTALLY OUTRAGED BY A NEGRO.

LOUISVILLE, August 4.—Mrs. Pfeiffer, a respectable married lady, while gathering blackberries, near Frankfort, Kentucky, on Tuesday, accompanied by her daughter, aged fourteen years, was attacked and brutally outraged by a negro. Her child gave the alarm, but the fiend escaped.

Yesterday a negro named Harry Johnson was arrested on suspicion and lodged in jail at Frankfort. He was subsequently identified by the mother and her daughter. Great excitement prevailed, and an attempt at lynching is feared, against which strong precautions have been adopted by the authorities.

Johnson waived examination yesterday, and was remanded to jail. When asked what he did with the knife he had when he made the attack on Mrs. Pfeiffer, he answered, "I threw it away." On the prisoner being taken from the jail to Court the husband of the outraged lady attempted to shoot him.

The excitement in the city is intense. No violent demonstrations have been made yet, but the jail is strongly guarded, as the rage of the people may take the form of action any moment.

Our next article is about the lynching of both Johnson and another man named Washington. Both were lynched on the same day although for different reasons. Our next article is from The New York Times (New York, New York) dated August 9, 1871:

The Troubles in Frankfort, Ky.

LOUISVILLE, KY., Aug. 8.—About 2 this morning about two hundred armed and masked men went to jail in Frankfort and demanded the keys. The State Guard, who had been on duty there, had gone as it was supposed ; all disorder was over. The jailer was compelled to surrender the keys, and the men entered and took out the negro who committed the rape on Mrs. PFEIFFERED[sic] a few days ago, and also the negro WASHINGTON, who was said to be the one who fired the first shot in the riot there yesterday, in which two white men were killed. The negroes were taken about half a mile from the jail and hanged. Great excitement prevails in the community in consequence of the turbulent scenes yesterday evening and the lynching outrage this morning. No further violence is anticipated, however.

Washington was lynched because of heightened emotions over voting, which led to a riot. Our next article discusses more on his lynching and is from The Spirit of Democracy (Woodsfield, Ohio) dated August 15, 1871:

Terrible Fight at Frankfort and Lexington.
—————
The Blacks Attack the Whites.
—————
Two White Men Killed and Others Wounded.
—————

[Special Dispatch to the Enquirer.]

FRANKFORT, KY, August 7—After the polls were closed here this evening, the negroes, who had been very insulting and threatening during the day, made an attack upon the whites with pistols and bricks, from which a general fight began. Two white men were killed instantly, and a number wounded ; the exact number has not be ascertained. Some four or five negroes were wounded, but non seriously. The blacks far outnumbered the whites, having assembled at the polls with a view to creating a disturbance. The white men were exceedingly quiet and forebore to encourage any trouble. Mr. W. D. Gilmore, late a citizen of Lexington, and a clerk in the Auditor's office, was shot through the breast and instantly killed. He was using every endeavor to quiet the negroes and keep down a disturbance when the fatal shot reached him. Mr. Silas Bishop, a poor man and quiet citizen, was also shot throught he breast, and died at once.

The conduct of the negroes, under bad advice from white leaders, has been low, defiant and outrageous beyond expression. The community is much incensed. Several negroes have been arrested, and are now in jail, but it is believed that several of the ring leaders have escaped. The State troops have been ordered out, and the city is now comparatively quiet. After the riot about seventy-five negroes marched in a body down Market street yelling and defying the whites, but at this time there is not a negro to be seen, and no further fighting is expected. The vote has not been announced, owing to the great excitement occasioned by the riot, but it is understood that the Radicals have carried the town by about 50 majority.—They anticipated about 300.

These lynchings took place at the tail end of Reconstruction, which ended in 1877. Tensions were high over black suffrage. If you notice, the author of the final article acts as if blacks had no place being at the voting place, however, they legally had the right to vote. Not that this stopped whites from attempting to prevent blacks from voting. The lynching of both Johnson and Washington most likely occurred to keep blacks in the community "in their place," and away from participating in voting. Johnson was an easy scapegoat because he fit under the popular concept that black men were out to rape white women. Washington was a direct victim of the riot. He may not have fired any shots but by lynching both him and Johnson, the white community was sending a clear message that blacks needed to stay docile, quiet, and out of politics.

Thank you for joining us and, as always, we hope we leave you with something to ponder.