No Justification for it
January 16, 1897
Summary
A man is lynched in South Carolina on false pretenses of barn burning.
Transcription
[New York Times.]
The latest lynching in South Carolina does not indicate that the efforts to stop the practice have had much effect in the rural community in which this took place. The lynching was not for “the usual crime.” A white man’s barn had been burned. There does not seem to have been any evidence that the lynchee was concerned in burning it, but nevertheless he was a Negro, and even “a prominent Negro,” whatever that may mean. His body was found dangling from a railway signal, with three bullet holes in it and an inscription affixed to It setting forth that some anonymous persons were determined to “protect their homes and property.” “Let other tale warning,” the placard concluded. It does not appear that this admonition was directed against incendiarism. It seems to have meant that if any more barns were burned, some more “prominent negroes” would be put to death, whether they had anything to do with the barn burning or not. It may even act as a direct encouragement to barn burning upon the part of Negroes not prominent who do not necessarily object to the killing of prominent Negroes. The incident is worth pondering by those Southerners who see that it is desirable to attract population and capital from other parts of the country. The spirit the lynching shows is not exactly calculated to attract a man of substance who is considering the eligibility of Orangeburg, SC., as a place of residence.
The latest lynching in South Carolina does not indicate that the efforts to stop the practice have had much effect in the rural community in which this took place. The lynching was not for “the usual crime.” A white man’s barn had been burned. There does not seem to have been any evidence that the lynchee was concerned in burning it, but nevertheless he was a Negro, and even “a prominent Negro,” whatever that may mean. His body was found dangling from a railway signal, with three bullet holes in it and an inscription affixed to It setting forth that some anonymous persons were determined to “protect their homes and property.” “Let other tale warning,” the placard concluded. It does not appear that this admonition was directed against incendiarism. It seems to have meant that if any more barns were burned, some more “prominent negroes” would be put to death, whether they had anything to do with the barn burning or not. It may even act as a direct encouragement to barn burning upon the part of Negroes not prominent who do not necessarily object to the killing of prominent Negroes. The incident is worth pondering by those Southerners who see that it is desirable to attract population and capital from other parts of the country. The spirit the lynching shows is not exactly calculated to attract a man of substance who is considering the eligibility of Orangeburg, SC., as a place of residence.
About this article
Source
Location on Page
Upper Left Quadrant
Topic
Contributed By
Brian Schrott
Citation
“No Justification for it,” Black Virginia: The Richmond Planet, 1894-1909, accessed October 9, 2026, https://blackvirginia.richmond.edu/items/show/26.