June 21, 1908: Ernest Williams

Today we learn about an unusual lynching in Arkansas through the pages of The Cincinnati Enquirer (Cincinnati, Ohio) dated June 23, 1908:

ANGRY NEGRESSES

Took One of Their Own Race and Hanged Him To a Pole.

SPECIAL DISPATCH TO THE ENQUIRER.

Hamburg, Ark., June 22.—A mob of enraged negro women last night dragged Ernest Williams, a negro, to a telegraph pole on the outskirts of Parkdale, a town in this county, and lynched him.

Negro women of that town are reported to have organized a league to enforce better moral conduct of their race. Williams's [sic] conduct was offensive to some of the women.

The place is remote from telegraphic communication and no further details of the affair have been received.

Thank you for joining me and as always, I hope I leave you with something to ponder.

April 8, 1912: Thomas Miles

Today we learn about a lynching in Louisiana through the pages of The Raleigh times (Raleigh, N. C.) dated April 9, 1912:

Negro Lynched After Being Acquitted

Shreveport, La., April 9.—Dismissed because positive proof was lacking when arraigned yesterday on the charge of having written letters to a young white woman, Thomas Miles, a negro, 29 years of age, was lynched near the city limits during the night. When the body was found today it was swinging from a tree and had been riddled with bullets.

Thank you for joining me and as always, i hope I leave you with something to ponder.

February, 1896: Henry Blake

Today we learn about an incident in Georgia starting with an article found in The Courier-Journal (Louisville, Kentucky) dated February 10, 1896:

ANOTHER VICTIM OF WHITECAPS.

Henry Blake Probably Fatally Whipped Near Dahlonega, Ga.

Dahlonega, Ga., Feb. 9.—(Special.)—The whitecaps have broken out again in this section. News of another outrage has just reached here from Dawson county, and the information comes that there is a decidedly bad state of affairs over there. Henry Blake, who lived in Lumpkin county, was suspected of having reported an illicit distillery to the revenue officers and was warned to leave. he packed up his belongings, took his delicate wife and children in a caravan wagon and went toward Dawson. He rented a small farm and camped out on it preparatory to building a cabin. A few hours later the owner told him to leave,a s it was reported he was an informer. He denied it, but at dusk a band of masked men came upon his camp, took him out and beat him, and also his wife and children. Blake will die.

The Atlanta Constitution (Atlanta, Georgia) dated February 10, 1896:

WAS BADLY FLOGGED

Whitecappers Whip an Informer in Lumpkin County.

VISITED HIM IN THE NIGHT

While He Was with His Family Camping in the Wood Having Been Refused Shelter.

Dahlonega, Ga., February 9.—(Special.)—A few nights ago Mr. Blake, who had given information against illicit distillers in Lumpkin county was forced to leave that county and seek other climes. He went to Dawson county and rented a place from a Mr. Brown. When he went, with his wife and three children to take possession, he was informed by Mr. Brown that he (Blake) was an informer and that he could not occupy his house.

Blake with his family then proceeded on their way, they knew not whither, in search of a home. They camped that night a few miles from Brown's house on the side of the road. About midnight the Blakes were awakened and found themselves surrounded by a crowd of men, who had their guns leveled at them.

Brown was tied with ropes and dragged a short distance from where his frightened wife and children were and beaten nearly to death.

It is not known who Blake's assailants were, but they were undoubtedly illicit distillers and their friends.

Thank you for joining me and as always, I hope I leave you with something to ponder.

December, 1882: George W. and Jim Fraley

Today we learn about a Texas lynching through the pages of The Saint Paul globe (Saint Paul, Minnesota) dated December 19, 1882:

Two Brothers Lynched by a Mob in Texas.

TWO BROTHERS LYNCHED.

[Special telegram to the Globe.]

DALLAS, Tex., Dec. 18.—News is just received of the lynching of two brothers, George W. and Jim Fraley, the latter a mere boy. Both were arrested in the Comanche country, charged with stealing cotton. They were placed under guard at Hazel Dell. At midnight a mob, armed with shot guns, overpowered the guards, took the prisoners to the woods, and hanged them on the same limb.

The Chicago Tribune's lynching list for 1882 lists the brothers as colored. The article doesn't mention race which would usually lead one to believe they were white. Thank you for joining me and as always, i hope I leave you with something to ponder.

May 25, 1885: "Powhattan Pete"

Today the May 27, 1885 edition of the Chicago Daily Tribune (Chicago, Illinois) is our source of information for a Tennessee lynching:

"POWHATTAN PETE" GETS SHORT SHRIFT FOR STEALING A MULE AT BROWNSVILLE, TENN.

MEMPHIS, Tenn., May 26.—[Special.]—Yesterday morning a gang of forty armed men visited the jail at Brownsville, this county, took a negro prisoner called "Powhattan Pete" from the building and quietly hanged him to a convenient tree. "Powhattan Pete" was an old penitentiary bird, and returned to Brownsville only a few weeks ago, shortly afterwards being arrested for complicity in the burglary of the house of S. C. Sayers and the subsequent theft of a mule.

Thank you for joining me and as always, i hope I leave you with something to ponder.

June 15, 1890: George Swazie

Tosay we learn about a Louisiana lynching through the pages of the Fort Worth Daily Gazette (Fort Worth, Texas) dated June 17, 1890:

THE LOTTERY FIGHT.

Feeling Runs so High that a Negro Politician Who Urges His Race Not to Vote is Lynched.

Special to the Gazette.

NEW ORLEANS, LA., June 16.—George Swazie, colored, formerly a leading Republican politician of this state, was lynched yesterday at Black creek on the parish line of East and West Feliciana, representing that district in the legislature and afterwards being supervisor of registration. During the political troubles of 1876 charges were brought against him for murdering W. D. Winters, a prominent white lawyer. Swazie left the parish to escape the mob and was warned that if he ever returned there he would be killed. He came to New Orleans and latterly has been employed in the custom house. A few days ago he returned to Feliciana and was engaged there in distributing circulars advising the negroes no to vote in the senatorial election which takes to-morrow, and where the contest is wholly on the lottery issue. Following is the circular which which Swazie drew up and distributed among the negroes:

"An address to the colored people of East Feliciana parish:  The contest in the senatorial election to be held on Tuesday, 17th of June, is of no interest to you. On the contrary the friends of the lottery and anti-lottery bodies seem to be agreed only on one point and that is to eliminate you for the present issue. Now as this is strictly a factional fight amongst the Democrats we advise all colored people to abstain from voting, thereby leaving the settlement to the Democrats, which affords them a chance to arrange their own differences. By order of the committee in West Feliciana."

This action was denounced as a disreputable trick by the anti-lottery people as likely to decrease the colored vote in East Feliciana and thus to hurt them, and threats were made that any lottery emissary visiting the parish would be roughly dealt with. Swazie, however, crossed over into the parish with these circulars, but had no sooner stepped over the line than he was arrested as a suspicious character. As the deputy sheriff was taking him to the parish jail he was stopped by a mob of men and the prisoner was taken from him. This morning Swazie was found hanging to a tree on Black creek with a broken neck. The lynching created great excitement in both the Felicianas and Baton Rouge and indicates how bitter the fight is between the lottery and anti-lottery factions.

Thank you for joining me and as always, i hope I leave you with something to ponder.   

March 18, 1888: Jeff Curry

Today we learn about an Alabama lynching from an article found in The Courier-Journal (Louisville, Kentucky) dated March 20, 1888:

A PRISONER'S FATE.

Jeff Curry Murdered While En Route to Prison at Birmingham.

BIRMINGHAM, March 19.—[Special. sic—Yesterday morning down near Bessemer two white men—Powell, father and son—fell out with Jeff Curry, a negro cobbler, about a job he had done for one of them and pistols were drawn on both sides, but not fired. Shortly afterwards they had Curry arrested and taken before a Magistrate, who ordered him brought to this city to jail. Two white men were appointed to escort him. About five miles away, during the afternoon, the negro's dead body was found with a handful of buckshot in it, his clothes being fairly riddled. An inquest was held before the same Magistrate, but nothing was brought out to show who did the shooting. Several names are connected with it in the neighborhood, though no warrants have been sworn out for the parties. The guards' story is, a mob of disguised men took the negro from them and killed him, but inasmuch as one of them was seen in consultation with one of the Powells just before setting out with the prisoner, it is suspected that they know more about the personnel of the mob than they care to tell.

If you are like me you probable wondered on what charge was Curry arrested. Curry was arrested for carrying a concealed weapon. Thank you for joining me and as always, I hope I leave you with something to ponder.