Trouble at Pineapple
January 9, 1904
Summary
A white man lynched and continuously tortured an innocent man in Alabama in order to demonstrate that “there is such a thing as punishment after death.”
Transcription
The lynching of a colored citizen at Pineapple, Wilcox county, Alabama, December 26,1903 was not without its amusing features. As usual one of the “best white citizens” of that locality, who answered to the euphonious name of Pig Melton was engaged with a number of Negroes of shooting crap. A little disagreement with his being shot. No undertakes had yet testified to having placed Meltons remains within the bosom of Mother Earth. Still, another man, who was charged with being an accessory was caught, while the Negro, placed in a calaboose, while the Negro, who did the shooting was moving rapidly in another direction, no doubt humming the well-known refrain, “Foot, help the body.” He has not yet been captured.
In this section, it is evidently a capital offense to even talk about shooting a white man and so a mob gathered, broke open the calaboose, and after practicing other indignities, knocked the colored man in the head. He was murdered. This should have answered all purposes, but it didn't. Their blood thirstiness was not satisfied. They had evidently read the case of the man, who, after he had crushed in the head of a snake for an hour afterwards.
“My friend,” remarked an on-looker, “that snake is dead. What are you beating him for?”
“I want it to understand.” was the remark, “that there is such a thing a punishment after death.”
But this was not a snake. It was a man made of God’s image.
He had committed no crime, for the man who did the shooting had taken leg-bail ad left that section for parts unknown.
But these “best citizens” who shot crap with Negroes, not only killed an innocent man, but took drastic measures to let the corpse know that there was such a thing as “punishment after death”...
In this section, it is evidently a capital offense to even talk about shooting a white man and so a mob gathered, broke open the calaboose, and after practicing other indignities, knocked the colored man in the head. He was murdered. This should have answered all purposes, but it didn't. Their blood thirstiness was not satisfied. They had evidently read the case of the man, who, after he had crushed in the head of a snake for an hour afterwards.
“My friend,” remarked an on-looker, “that snake is dead. What are you beating him for?”
“I want it to understand.” was the remark, “that there is such a thing a punishment after death.”
But this was not a snake. It was a man made of God’s image.
He had committed no crime, for the man who did the shooting had taken leg-bail ad left that section for parts unknown.
But these “best citizens” who shot crap with Negroes, not only killed an innocent man, but took drastic measures to let the corpse know that there was such a thing as “punishment after death”...
About this article
Source
Location on Page
Upper Left Quadrant
Topic
Contributed By
Megan Brooks
Citation
“Trouble at Pineapple,” Black Virginia: The Richmond Planet, 1894-1909, accessed January 20, 2026, https://blackvirginia.richmond.edu/items/show/156.