Wronged and Killed Him
May 25, 1895
Summary
A white man sleeps with a black woman who then kills her husband after an altercation; the white man was found not guilty in court and walked away a free man.
Transcription
The Standard of Lexington, Kentucky, is outspoken in its condemnation of the jury that rendered a verdict of “not guilty” in the case of William Shipp, white, who on Sunday, April 7, 1895, shot and killed Sam Brown in the latter’s own house. Its articles have the proper ring.
The white man, Shipp had been criminally intimate with Brown’s wife, and visited her when her husband was unexpectedly present.
Hot words followed between the husband and the white man and the murder resulted.
In the face of the Fact that Brown was unceremoniously murdered in his own home by the white man who had so grievously wronged him, a white jury found the murderer “not guilty” and he walked from the court-room a free man.
There was no denial of the murder.
The counsel for he defense set up the plea that Shipp, the white man went to Brown, the colored man to tell him that he did not intend to be criminally intimate with his wife any longer.
The names of the white jurymen who disgraced themselves by rendering such a verdict are W. H. Boswell, J.M. Montague, B. P. Connell, J. S. Hutshull, J. H. Gaines, John Sallee, John Funk, O. B. Grimes, J. D. Turner, J. W. Hodges, John Lancaster and J. B. Cropper.
What say the white men of the South to this verdict? What should Brown have done? What steps would a white man in Brown’s place have taken? Which would have been on trial if Brown had been white? Which would have been on trial if Brown had been white? Which would have been dead?
Colored men, act like white men. They set us an example in these matters; let us imitate them.
Lynch law must go!
The white man, Shipp had been criminally intimate with Brown’s wife, and visited her when her husband was unexpectedly present.
Hot words followed between the husband and the white man and the murder resulted.
In the face of the Fact that Brown was unceremoniously murdered in his own home by the white man who had so grievously wronged him, a white jury found the murderer “not guilty” and he walked from the court-room a free man.
There was no denial of the murder.
The counsel for he defense set up the plea that Shipp, the white man went to Brown, the colored man to tell him that he did not intend to be criminally intimate with his wife any longer.
The names of the white jurymen who disgraced themselves by rendering such a verdict are W. H. Boswell, J.M. Montague, B. P. Connell, J. S. Hutshull, J. H. Gaines, John Sallee, John Funk, O. B. Grimes, J. D. Turner, J. W. Hodges, John Lancaster and J. B. Cropper.
What say the white men of the South to this verdict? What should Brown have done? What steps would a white man in Brown’s place have taken? Which would have been on trial if Brown had been white? Which would have been on trial if Brown had been white? Which would have been dead?
Colored men, act like white men. They set us an example in these matters; let us imitate them.
Lynch law must go!
About this article
Source
Location on Page
Lower Left Quadrant
Topic
Contributed By
Cord Fox
Citation
“Wronged and Killed Him,” Black Virginia: The Richmond Planet, 1894-1909, accessed May 17, 2025, https://blackvirginia.richmond.edu/items/show/1412.