People and Events.
| Year | State | Location | Description | Source | Persons Named as Rioters | Persons Named as Targets | Note | ||||||||
| 1857 | Iowa | Montezuma, Iowa | July: During trial of Wm. B. Thomas for murdering Mr and Mrs. Casteel, the defense lawyers got the judge to agree to a change of venue. A mob raced into the court room, took Thomas, hanged him and burned him to torture a confession out of him. | Black. "Lynchings," p.197-198 | William B. Thomas | ||||||||||
| 1857 | Iowa | Cedar co., Iowa | July: Mob of 400 from Mechanicsville seized a man charged with counterfeiting and horse stealing and held a lynch court. Then they hanged him. Search for another horse thief proved futile. | Black. "Lynchings," p.198 | |||||||||||
| 1857 | Iowa | Cascade, Dubuque Co, IA | July: Hanging of Jack Parrot for alleged horse theft | Dubuque Weekly Express and Herald, July 15, 1857; Dubuque Daily Times, July 13, 1857 as listed in Pfeifer, The Roots of Rough Justice. | Jack Parrott | PTH | |||||||||
| 1857 | Kansas | Leavenworth, Kansas | July: 2,000 citizens, over protest of pro-slave justice (??) and free soil mayor Adams, broke into the jail, took out 2 murderers and hanged them. | Nichols.Bleeding Kansas, p.197 | |||||||||||
| 1857 | Texas | Near Escondido Creek | August: Unknown Mexican lynched for alleged killing of a cow. | San Antonio Ledger, 22 Aug 1857 as listed in Carrigan and Webb, Forgotten Dead. | PTH | ||||||||||
| 1857 | Nebraska | Omaha, NE | August: Roswell G. Pierce, Herman Glass and men of the Omaha Claim Club threaten John W. Brown in order to force Brown to surrender his claim. The deployment of the vigilance committee was threatened, and Brown deeded the land over. Brown would later win it back in a court case that went all the way to the Supreme Court. | Sean M. Kammer, “‘Public Opinion is More Than Law:’ Popular Sovereignty and Vigilantism in the Nebraska Territory,” Great Plains Quarterly 31, no. 4 (Fall 2011): 309-324. | Roswell G. Pierce; Herman Glass; Joseph Barker | John W. Brown | PTH | ||||||||
| 1857 | Nebraska | Omaha, NE | August: Roswell G. Pierce, Herman Glass and men of the Omaha Claim Club threaten Alexander H. Baker in order to force Baker to surrender his claim. The deployment of the vigilance committee was threatened, and Baker deeded the land over. Baker would later win it back in a court case that went all the way to the Supreme Court. | Sean M. Kammer, “‘Public Opinion is More Than Law:’ Popular Sovereignty and Vigilantism in the Nebraska Territory,” Great Plains Quarterly 31, no. 4 (Fall 2011): 309-324. | Roswell G. Pierce; Herman Glass; Joseph Barker | Alexander H. Baker | PTH | ||||||||
| 1857 | Kansas | Atchison, KS | August: On Saturday the 22, Col. Lane was to speak at a Free State Convention in Atchison. The angered the pro-slavery element, who requested aid from Missouri. 8 Americans and 12 Germans organized to defend the convention. 8 or 10 men, including F.G. Adams, moved towards the disturbance, which prompted armed, pro-slavery men to gather. A freestater, Woodward, was found to have been knocked down. After raising their weapons, the freestaters were allowed to retreat. Threats continued to be made throughout the day. | New York Times, October 2, 1857. | Lane; F.G. Adams; Woodward; Losee | PTH | |||||||||
| 1857 | Kansas | Leavenworth, Kansas | September: The body of an unidentified murdered man found near the old mill. A young man, accompanied by friends, found a man at the scene of the crime with blood on his face and clothes. They put a noose around his neck and threatened to hang him if he did not confess at once. The man confessed, and named some alleged accomplices, who were also seized. A Vigilance Committee was organized, lead by General Eastin. The crowd wished to hang the man, named Gordon, but was convinced by leaders to surrender him to local magistrates. Interrogated by authorities, the accused argued his confession was false, and only made to save his life. Placed in jail, an angry crowd again tried to hang him. Again, leadership of the Vigilance Committee encourages the mob to stand down. Newspaper accounts praise mob law and decry the action of authorities. | New York Times, September 16, 1857 | Eastin | Gordon | PTH | ||||||||
| 1857 | Kansas | Leavenworth, Kansas | September: Gordon's testimony leads to the arrest of a Gillaspie, and the search for a man named O'Brien. The murdered man was identified as Walls from Ohio. Preparations made to hang the men. | New York Times, October 10, 1857 | Gordon; Gillaspie | PTH | |||||||||
| 1857 | Utah | Mountain Meadows, Utah | September: Massacre of 120 emigrant whites by Mormons and Indians. Men and women and children killed. This occurred during the so-called Mormon war. | Brooks.Mountain Meadows Massacre | |||||||||||
| 1857 | Maryland | Baltimore | October: More election rioting as know-nothings prevent immigrant from voting and win local elections. 11,898 to 2,792. In the 8th ward. Ser. William Jordan of the police killed. | Scharf.Chronicles, p.558-563; H+W, p.93 | William Jordan | ||||||||||
| 1857 | Iowa | Jones co., Iowa | December: Regulators numbering about 400 strong captured Hiram Roberts, forced him to confess to counterfeiting then hagned him in a barn. Six of the mob were later charged, but case dropped. | Black. "Lynchings," p.198-199 | Hiram Roberts | PTH edits | |||||||||
| 1857 | Iowa | Polk County, Iowa | Vigilantes capture and hang J.W. Thomas - a murderer. | Graham. "Vigilance Committee," Palinpsest 6, (1925) 362 | J.W. Thomas | ||||||||||
| 1857 | Michigan | Detroit | Half dozen bawdy houses destroyed in a riot. Officials tacitly approve action. | Schneider. "Detroit," Mi Hi, 58 (1974) 6 | |||||||||||
| 1857 | Minnesota | Red Wing (upper Midwest) | Mobs attack and burn houses of prostitution. | Nolan.Vigilantes, p.193 | |||||||||||
| 1857 | New York | NYC | January: Irish and Native American (WASP?) riot. | Headley, p.310-311 | PTH Edits | ||||||||||
| 1857 | Nebraska | Omaha, NE | February: a mass meeting held between the claim clubs of Florence, Elkhorn, Papillion, and Omaha, pledging to work together and defend their claims with their lives. A unified vigilance committee organized. | Bellevue Gazette: Feburary 26, 1857. | A.J. Hanscom; A.G. Clarke; William Larimer; Jesse Lowe; Thayer; Brewster; Fifield; Grant; GOodwill; Moore; Johnson; Salisbury | PTH | |||||||||
| 1857 | Nebraska | Omaha, NE | February: One hundred and fifty armed Omaha Claim Club vigilantes move through the streets of Omaha. According to the paper, "Several arrets were made on Saturday last, one or two on Sunday, and a couple on Monday last." It was a calculated show of force. | The Nebraskian, February 25, 1857 | PTH | ||||||||||
| 1857 | Nebraska | Omaha, NE | February: Members of the Omaha Claim Club arrested an Irishman named Michael Callahan for alleged claim jumping. Callahan was repeatedly dunked under the frozen ice of the Missouri River to induce him to surrender the claim. After three submersions, Callahan finally gave in. He would die within the year, probably of sickness resulting from the torture. | Sorenson, Early History of Omaha, 106. | Michael Callahan | PTH | |||||||||
| 1857 | Nebraska | Omaha, NE | February: On 21 February, 100-150 armed members of the Omaha Claim Club moved to force Jacob S. Shull off his claim. Shull ran, but the vigilantes torched his buildings and spent days hunting for him. | Sorenson, Early History of Omaha, 106. | Jacob S. Shull | PTH | |||||||||
| 1857 | Nebraska | Rock Bluffs, Cass Co. | February: A. Deyo, G.W. Woodhouse, Jo. Vertner, and Wm. Potts all allegedly jumped claims in Cass co., in violation of claim club law. The men went to the land office to file the paperwork for the claims. The land in question was also claimed by Patterson, France, and unnamed other, supported by the club. The clainm club mobilized against the "jumpers," who fled the territory. The vigilance committee arrested "aiders and abettors." The vigilantes banished F. Pearman, and forced J Brown and others to sign a bond swearing to uphold club rules. It did not stop there. A group of thirteen vigilantes pursued the "jumpers" to St. Marys, Iowa. The town resisted the Nebraskan vigilantes, and Col. Sarpy tried to convince the populace that they constituted a lawful body. The jumpers escaped again, and the vigilance committee returned home. Controversy erupted, meanwhile, that crying women and children were confined "in a room with blackguards." The incident involved Mrs. Deyo at J. Brown's store. The Claim Club published a statement denying all wrongdoing and insisted Deyo remained in the store not more than twenty or thirty minutes. A. Deyo would later publish an article alleging that the claim club was corrupt, and, Patterson, a US surveyor, was using his position to claim obscene amounts of land. | Omaha Nebraskian, "Claim Jumping in Cass County, Nebraska Territory" February 25, 1857. | A. Deyo; Mrs. Deyo; G.W. Woodhouse; Joseph Vertner; William Potts; F Pearman; J. Brown | PTH | |||||||||
| 1857 | Nebraska | Fort Calhoun | February: Residents of Fort Calhoun formed a claim club. | The Nebraskian, March 11, 1857 | PTH | ||||||||||
| 1857 | Nebraska | Papillion | February: A claim club organized in Papillion. | Omaha Nebraskian, "Constitution" February 11, 1857. | J.M. Thayer; Charles Grant | PTH | |||||||||
| 1857 | Nebraska | Omaha | April: Omaha Nebraskian calls on Nebraskans to form claim clubs "in sufficient force to give them effeciency and power." | "Multiple News Items." Nebraskian, 1 Apr. 1857. | PTH | ||||||||||
| 1857 | Nebraska | Plattsmouth | April: Plattsmouth vigilantes launch a raid against an alleged gang of horse thieves - the Johnson gang. The vigilantes siezed Mrs. Johnson when she attempted to cross the Missouri river and held her in custody. They then raided the Johnson residence, capturing a number of people. The vigilantes proceeded to drown three Johnson men and one Kelly in the Missouri river, and banished the rest to Iowa. A teacher, T.M. Marquett, reported to be among the vigilante ranks. | Olive Gass, The Vigilantes, Nebraska's First Defenders, Nebraska History Magazine, 3-18. | T.M. Marquett | Johnson; Mrs. Johnson; Kelly | PTH | ||||||||
| 1857 | Maryland | Baltimore | May: Striking RR workers use violence to prevent trains from running. On the 1st they ambushed a train leaving Baltimore at a deep cuty at Jackson's bridge. Shots were exchanged with police. One train got through, three others did not. A similar confrontation occurred Sunday. Several strikers wounded both days, and on the 2nd one was killed. The rioters also spiked tracks. After 3rd some settlement was reached. Slight to workers. | Scharf.Chronicles, p.555-557 | |||||||||||
| 1857 | Vermont | Bakersfield, VT | May: Crowd fires into house of Salmon Stebbins; he returns fire and kills Perley Childs. The crowd were involved in a Charivari - at least 25 involved. | Roth, "Notes" | Perley Childs | Salmon Stebbins | PTH Edits | ||||||||
| 1857 | Iowa | Ft. Madison Landing, Iowa | May: The crew of a steamboat was about to whip a black crewmember. Locals who supported abolition attempted to interfere. A fight broke out with the crew. Those on shore threw stones, etc. In the boat they fired bullets. Six men onshore wounded. The boat escaped. | Black. "Lynchings," p.190-191 | |||||||||||
| 1857 | Illinois | Cairo, Illinois | June: Fight at Upper Depot RR station, left several participants cut and bruised. | Briggs. "Lawlessness," Mid. Am. (1951) 73 | |||||||||||
| 1857 | Illinois | Chicago | Elite volunteer companies led by mayor John Wentworth burnt down a whole district of bawdy houses. | H+W, p.448 | John Wentworth | ||||||||||
| 1857 | Illinois | Peoria, Illinois | Mobs attack and burn houses of prostitution. | Nolan.Vigilantes, p.193 | |||||||||||
| 1857 | New York | NYC | June: Battle between municipal police and metropolitan police outside City Hall that was quelled only with the arrival of 7th regiment. | Limpus. History, p.217 | |||||||||||
| 1857 | Nebraska | Florence, Nebraska | June: Riot in town. Probably a large-scale brawl. Vigilance committee arrested several individuals and acted to restrict bars and saloons. | Shull, ed. "Minutes of Vigilance," Nebraska History, 58 (1977) 81-83 | Hooper; Patrick; Thompson; Thomas Keeler; James Kinsley | PTH Edits | |||||||||
| 1857 | New York | NYC | June: Irish and Native American (WASP?) riots. | Headley, p.310-311 | PTH Edits | ||||||||||
| 1857 | New York | NYC | June: Irish attack and eventually beat up some German picnickers. | Degler, p.130-131, N.2; Tribune, June 30, 1857 | |||||||||||
| 1857 | Wisconsin | Lacrosse, Wisconsin | July: Cowd of 200 to 400 visit four houses of prostitution. They burned the first two, driving the inhabitants out of town. In the 2nd, furniture about to be moved was also burned. The mayor interceded thereafter, and the mob left houses alone when inmates promised to leave town. Vigilance committee organized that lasted until August. | Nolan.Vigilantes, p.183-186, 193 | |||||||||||
| 1857 | Iowa | Jones County, Iowa | July: Vigilance committee arrested a man named Teedles. They tried and hanged him, but he was not dead when his friends cut him down. The VC wanted to hang him again, but since he told all he knew about a gang, they let him off. | Black. "Lynchings," p.196 | Teedles | ||||||||||
| 1857 | New York | NYC | July: German target company attacked by Irish and some boys on 39th street. | Degler; Times, July 15, 1857 | |||||||||||
| 1857 | Nebraska | Logan, Dakota Co. | July: Logan Claim Club Association removed John Williams and George Waite from land claimed by J.M. Waddle. | "Multiple Classified Advertisements." Omaha Nebraskian, 15 July 1857 | John Williams; George Waite | PTH | |||||||||
| 1857 | Nebraska | Omaha, NE | July: Several members of the Omaha Claim Club, including a lawyer, moved to force Daniel Murphy off his claim. The club men threatened Murphy with a revolver and bowie knife until Murphy surrendered the claim. | Alfred R. Sorenson, Early History of Omaha (Omaha, NE: Daily Bee, 1876), 110. | Daniel Murphy | PTH | |||||||||
| 1857 | Nebraska | Omaha, NE | August: One day after John A. Smiley filed at the Omaha land office, he was visited by James Creighton. Creighton had been tipped off of Smiley's pre-emption by the land office. Creighton threatened Smiley with violence courtesy of the Omaha Claim Club. Smiley withdrew his claim the next day. | Samson v. Smiley, 80 U.S. 91. Transcript of Record | James Creighton | John A. Smiley | PTH | ||||||||
| 1857 | Kansas | Lecompton | August: claim controvery between George Stump and William Jacobs. Jacobs was a member of a local claim club, and had with other club members been speculating on the land. Interior Department sides with Stump. | Decisions of the Interior department in public land cases, and land laws passed by the Congress of the United States : together with the regulations of the General land office, 893-896. | George Stump | William Jacobs | PTH | ||||||||
| 1857 | Minnesota | Gull Lake, Morrison Co. | August: Joe Shambeau, Jimmy, and Charles Gebabish allegedly murdered a man at Gull Lake. Two of the accused were described as Natives, and one was labeled a "half-breed." A group of Natives and some whites arrested the three, and Sheriff Poe (?) prepared to bring the three to authorities in St. Paul. En route, a group of white vigilantes intercepted the Sheriff and, holding him, seized the prisoners. They proceeded to lynch the men. | New York Times, October 7, 1857. Robert D. Pomperoy, "Morrison County's Only Lynching" (1966, unpublished manuscript, Minnesota Historical Society, St Paul); John D. Bessler, Legacy of Violence: Lynch Mobs and Executions in Minnesota (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2003), 5; Ziebarth, "Judge Lynch in Minnesota," 72 as listed in Pfeifer, The Roots of Rough Justice. | Joe Shambeau; Jimmy; Charles Gebabish; Poe | PTH | |||||||||
| 1857 | Nebraska | Nebraska City, NE | August: John McConihe and 30 men formed a claim club to advance their interests. To add in this effort, they stole 10 muskets from Jim Lane in Nebraska City. | John McConihe to John B Kellogg, August 2, 1857, John McConihe Papers, MS 308, Box 1, Folder 1, Archives and Special Collections, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries. | John McConihe | Jim Lane | PTH | ||||||||
| 1857 | Mississippi | Oxford | September: A man named Snyder arrested a brought before court for allegedly inciting insurrection among the local black people. While in the court, the local white citizens called a meeting chaired by Yancy Wiley. Some called for mob law. It was agreed to put Snyder in jail for a month while he procured evidence to prove his innocence. Two constables escorted him to the jail, but two members of the crowd seized him. The crowd forced Snyder to strip and interrogated him. He was then released to the jail once again, but the crowd returned and demanded him from the jailor, who complied. The mob brought Snyder to the woods, where they again stripped him, put a noose around his neck, and whipped him. After 238 lashes, Snyder "confessed." Snyder was shipped off to the Junction, and imprison again at Holly Springs. | New York Times, Sept. 18, 1857. | Snyder | PTH | |||||||||
| 1857 | New York | NYC | November: Young boilermakers, tinsmiths, and brassfinishers riot during elections against nativism. Some arrested. | Bernstein, p.110, 102 | |||||||||||
| 1857 | New York | NYC | November: Bread riot - "old fashioned" large "hunger meetings" held in Tompkins Square with as many as 10,000 men and women. Three bakers' wagons robbed. | Bernstein, p.98, 140; McMaster, VIII, p.300 | |||||||||||
| 1857 | Iowa | Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa | December: A mob seized William Redman, an overseer of a house of ill fame, tarred and feathered him, rode him on a rail, and expelled him from town. The women in the house were told to leave. | Black. "Lynchings," p.198 | William Redman | ||||||||||
| 1857 | Iowa | Jones County, Iowa | December: Regulators captured young horse thief, stretched his neck and whipped him to gain confession. He did so, implicating Hiram T. Roberts who had already been hanged. | Black. "Lynching," p.199-200 | |||||||||||
| 1857 | Iowa | Linn County, Iowa | June: A man raped the daughter of John Schubert. When he attempted to sue he was warned to leave the country. When he identified some of the intimidators, a mob came to his house, loaded his goods on a wagon and forced them to leave. | Black. "Lynchings," p.191-192 | John Schubert | ||||||||||
| 1858 | Texas | Brownsville, TX | January: Unknown Mexican hanged for alleged murder. | Brownsville Nueces Valley Weekly, 23. Jan 1858 as listed in Carrigan and Webb, Forgotten Dead. | PTH | ||||||||||
| 1858 | California | Monterey, CA | February: Jesus Anastasia lynched for alleged murder. | Nevada Journal, 26 Feb. 1858 as listed in Carrigan and Webb, Forgotten Dead. | Jesus Anastasia | PTH | |||||||||
| 1858 | Nebraska | Dakota Co. | March: Claim club founded in Elkhorn. | "Multiple News Items." Omaha Nebraskian, 10 Mar. 1858. | PTH | ||||||||||
| 1858 | Nebraska | Omaha | March: Former members of the Omaha Claim Club again force Robert Shields to abandon his claim. | Shields, et al. v. Root. Transcript of Record | Robert Shields | PTH | |||||||||
| 1858 | New Mexico | Albuquerque, NM | March: Carlos Martínez beaten and hanged for alleged assault on girl aged 8 or 9. | Sante Fe Weekly Gazette, 1 May 1858 as listed in Carrigan and Webb, Forgotten Dead. | Carlos Martínez | PTH | |||||||||
| 1858 | Kansas | Ft. Scott, Kansas | April: Eight free-soilers led by James Montgomery fire upon dragoons, killing two, and wounding four. | Nichols.Bleeding Kansas, p.224-225 | James Montgomery | ||||||||||
| 1858 | New Mexico | El Moro, NM | May: Unknown Mexican lynched for alleged murder. | Sante Fe Weekly Gazette, 15 May 1858 as listed in Carrigan and Webb, Forgotten Dead. | PTH | ||||||||||
| 1858 | California | San Luis Obispo | May: On the 13th, Santos Peralta lynched for alleged murder. | Carrigan and Webb, Forgotten Dead. | Santos Peralta | PTH | |||||||||
| 1858 | Kansas | SE Kansas | May: Marceis des Cygnes massacre. Proslavery forced under Charles Hamilton round up free-soil men. They take nine, formed a firing squad and shot them. Five were killed, four wounded, but pretended to be dead. | Nichols.Bleeding Kansas, p.227 | Charles Hamilton | ||||||||||
| 1858 | Louisiana | New Orleans | June: A committee of vigilance backed by one thousand men seized the state arsenal, the jail and large sections of the city. Well armed and with artillery they cowed local know-nothings officials. The committee wanted orderly elections. Know-nothing crowds wanted more action, and attempted an assault on the force with no success. After the election, which was peaceful, the committee disbanded its forces, although many leaders and some followers left the city. Some 11 people died during the action, at least 5 accidentally. | Asbury.French Quarter, p.298-314 | |||||||||||
| 1858 | Missouri | Western Missouri | December: John Brown leads a raid from Kansas along the Little Osege River. Captures 11 slaves, belonging to 3 families, and all other removeable property - horses and clothing taken from about a dozen families. They killed only one man in the process. | Nichols.Bleeding Kansas, p.235-236 | John Brown | ||||||||||
| 1858 | Indiana | Ligonier, Noble Co. | January: McClain and McDougal hanged for alleged counterfeiting | New York Times, Janurary 30, 1858; February 8, 1858 as listed in Pfeifer, The Roots of Rough Justice. | McClain; McDougal | PTH | |||||||||
| 1858 | Iowa | Montgomery County, Iowa | January: Andrew L. Millslagle had an affair with a Mrs. Wilson, while living with her and her husband. A mob came to tar and feather him, but he defended himself. Shots were exchanged. The mob tried to burn him out. Finally he surrendered when the mob promised to turn him over to authorities. He was tried in regular court and sentenced to 10 years - for what is unclear. | Black. "Lynching," p.200-201 | Andrew L. Millslagle | ||||||||||
| 1858 | New York | NYC | March: Americans and Catholics fight. | Headley, p.311 | |||||||||||
| 1858 | Kansas | SE Kansas | March: After murder of two free-soilers, free-soil gangs sought the killers destroying as they went. | Nichols.Bleeding Kansas, p.223-224 | |||||||||||
| 1858 | Nebraska | Omaha, NE | March: Two alleged horse thieves, Harvey Braden and John Daley, were arrested and incarcerated in Omaha. A lynch mob gathered at the prison, seized the men, and proceeded to hang them. | Alfred R. Sorenson, Early History of Omaha (Omaha, NE: Daily Bee, 1876), 118. | Harvey Braden; John Daley | PTH | |||||||||
| 1858 | New York | NYC | April: Workers strike at water works. Refuse to let others work. Irish-Americans split. Sheriff assaulted. | Headley, p.311 | |||||||||||
| 1858 | Kansas | Fort Scott, Kansas | April: Gunfight between free-soilers and federal troops. No real casualties. | Nichols.Bleeding Kansas, p.224 | |||||||||||
| 1858 | Texas | Near San Anontio, TX | May: On the 29th, 40 masked men seized Nicanor Urdiales, Pablo Longoria, Francisco Huizan, and Felipe Lopez from Mission San Jose for alleged theft. The vigilantes lynched the men. | San Antonio Ledger, 12 June 1858 as listed in Carrigan and Webb, Forgotten Dead. | Nicanor Urdiales; Pablo Longoria; Francisco Huizan; Felipe Lopez | PTH | |||||||||
| 1858 | Illinois | Dunleith, Illinois | May: Local Vigilance Committee seized six men suspected of being river pirates. The crowd voted on a punishment. The minority were for hanging; the majority wanted tar and feathers. This apparently was done and the men were put in a boat in the river and told not to return. | Nolan.Vigilantes, p.211-214 | |||||||||||
| 1858 | Illinois | Prairie du Chien, Illinois | May: Opposition to river pirates and houses of ill repute led to vigilante action. 30 to 40 men seized about 12 men. They arrested the men at a black saloon that was then burnt down. The men were turned over to authorities. The men were then given a vigilante trial. Several were sentenced to whipping and head shaving. | Nolan.Vigilantes, p.199-204 | PTH Edits | ||||||||||
| 1858 | Kansas | SE Kansas | May: Montgomery and his free-soilers plundered store of James Wells at Willow Springs. | Nichols.Bleeding Kansas, p.225 | James Montgomery | James Wells | |||||||||
| 1858 | Kansas | SE Kansas | May: James Montgomery and free-soilers attacked house of pro-slaver Charles Hamilton. Dragoons arrive to drive off Montgomery. | Nichols.Bleeding Kansas, p.225 | James Montgomery | Charles Hamilton | |||||||||
| 1858 | Kansas | SE Kansas | May: Charles Hamilton led an attack on free-soil blacksmith Eli Snyder at the smithshop. The pro-slavers shot Snyder, but were driven off by shotgun blasts by Snyder's son. | Nichols.Bleeding Kansas, p.225-226 | Charles Hamilton | Eli Snyder | |||||||||
| 1858 | Kansas | Fort Scott, Kansas | May: James Montgomery led a band of free-soilers in an attack on Fort Scott at night. Securing the sentinels, they set fire to the town. As the townspeople came out of their houses they were greeted by a fusilade from a nearby ravine. Shots were exchanged and the free-soilers rode off. | Nichols.Bleeding Kansas, p.230 | James Montgomery | ||||||||||
| 1858 | Iowa | Iowa City | May: Philip Clark and Boyd Wilkinson locked in a land dispute. Wilkinson had allegedly beaten Clark, arousing anger in the community. On May 10, Clark's barn burned down, and Clark and his friends suspect Wilkinson of arson. A committee met in Iowa City, with Henry Felkner president and Samuel McCory secretary. The committee authorized force. A group consisting of Clark, Henry Gray, F.M. Irish, Alfred Curtis, Charle Dow, Daniel Marshall, Samuel Shellady, G.W. Rawson, Charles Brown, James Taylor, John McGuire, and Peter Conboy siezed Wilkinson. At least thirty-five men were part of the vigilantes. Wilkinson drowned in the Iowa River. The men swore he jumped in himself, but lynching probable. No attempt was made to save Wilkinson. A court case followed, and the governor pardoned at least on of the vigilantes. | Erik McKinley Eriksson, "The Boyd Wilkinson Case," The Palimpset 6 (1925), 95-104. | Philip Clark; Henry Gray; F.M. Irish; Alfred Curtis; Charle Dow; Daniel Marshall; Samuel Shellady; G.W. Rawson; Charles Brown; James Taylor; John McGuire; Peter Conboy; Henry Felkner; Samuel McCory | Boyd Wilkinson | PTH | ||||||||
| 1858 | California | San Luis Obispo | June: Joaquin Valenzuela and Luciano Tapia lynched for alleged murder. | Angel, History of San Luis Obispo County as listed in Carrigan and Webb, Forgotten Dead. | Joaquin Valenzuela; Luciano Tapia | PTH | |||||||||
| 1858 | Louisiana | New Orleans | June: Know-nothing ruffians invade the Registrar of Voters and seized registration lists. They held them for several days, striking opponents off the list. | Asbury.French Quarter, p.297 | |||||||||||
| 1858 | Kansas | Lawrence | June: Land claim dispute turned deadly in Kansas between two Free-Soil men. Gaius (called Davis in paper) Jenkins was in the habit of fetching water from a well located on a disputed claim. Jenkins went to the well with an ax and four armed friends. James Lane, the other claimant, ordered Jenkins not to approach lest he be shot. Jenkins continued to advance, at which point Lane produced a shotgun and fired. 98 shot hit Jenkins in the breast, legs, and stomach, killing him. One of Jenkins's friends returned fire, hitting Lane in the leg. Lynching was threatened after, but the law intervened. | The Nebraska City News, June 12, 1858. | James Lane; Gaius Jenkins | James Lane; Gaius Jenkins | PTH | ||||||||
| 1858 | California | San Luis Obispo | June: On the 12th, Pío Linares shot for alleged murder. | Carrigan and Webb, Forgotten Dead. | Pío Linares | PTH | |||||||||
| 1858 | California | San Luis Obispo | June: On the 14th, Miguel Blanco, Rafael Herrada, and Deiderio Grijalva lynched for alleged murder. | Carrigan and Webb, Forgotten Dead. | Miguel Blanco; Rafael Herrada; Deiderio Grijalva | PTH | |||||||||
| 1858 | California | San Luis Obispo | June: On the 19th, José Antonio García lynched for alleged murder. | Los Angeles Star, 12 June 1858 as listed in Carrigan and Webb, Forgotten Dead. | José Antonio García | PTH | |||||||||
| 1858 | California | San Luis Obispo | June: On the 28th, Nieves Robles shot for alleged murder. | Angel, History of San Luis Obispo County as listed in Carrigan and Webb, Forgotten Dead. | Nieves Robles | PTH | |||||||||
| 1858 | Nebraska | Elkhorn | June: A man named Newman allegedly jumped the claim of a man named Mathews. A feud erupts over the timber rights on the disputed land. Mathews and the claim club go to visit Newman. Newman flees to his house, but Mathews shoots him. | Nebraska Advertister, June 24, 1858 | Mathews | Newman | PTH | ||||||||
| 1858 | Nebraska | Glen Rock, Nemaha Co. | July: Residents form a claim club. | Nebraska Advertiser, July 22, 1858 | PTH | ||||||||||
| 1858 | Nebraska | Brownville, Nemaha Co. | July: Residents meet to form a "Mutual Protection Society" in response to theft. | Nebraska Advertiser, July 29, 1858 | PTH | ||||||||||
| 1858 | Nebraska | Washington Co. | July: Residents of Washington Co. organize a vigilance committee in response to thieves. | Nebraska Advertiser, July 15, 1858 | PTH | ||||||||||
| 1858 | Nebraska | Florence | September: The Nebraska City News quotes the Florence Courier following an alleged act of arson. The Courier insisted that the arsonists were not worthy of the "clemencies of the law, or the sympathies of humanity" and instead called for trial before "Judge Lynch's bar." | The Nebraska City News, September 25th, 1858 | PTH | ||||||||||
| 1858 | Ohio | Wellington, Ohio | September: Slave catcher had kidnpapped a black man from Oberlin and brought him to Wellington, a town 9 miles away. On hearing this a crowd of men from Oberlin joined by some Wellington folk rescued the black man and sent him to Canada. 37 were subsequently arrested, including one Oberlin professor and several students. | McMaster,VIII, p.356 | PTH Edits | ||||||||||
| 1858 | New York | Staten Island, NY | September: Quarantine riot. Staten Islanders quarantine stations as a threat to their health, especially after an outbreak of yellow fever. On the night of September a mob attack and burned part of the buildings. The next night a mob again attacked, and burnt some more buildings. Marines and militia ordered to guard the quarantine grounds were on duty for three months. The metropolitan police did nothing about the riot. | Ketchun. "Municipal Police Reform…," p.109-110 | |||||||||||
| 1858 | Ohio | Cincinnati | September: Irish and German laborers fight near the Miami Canal when Germans agreed to work less wages than the Irish, thus threatening Irish jobs. | Ross.Workers…, p.104 | |||||||||||
| 1858 | Maryland | Baltimore | September: Party of rowdies attack newspaper office of the German paper Correspondent, corner of Baltimore and Gay streets, storing the building and breaking windows. | Scharf.Chronicles, p.565; Tuska, p.240 | |||||||||||
| 1858 | New York | NYC | October: Irish-Italian riot. | Headley, p.311 | |||||||||||
| 1858 | Maryland | Baltimore | October: Know-nothings prevented their opponents from going near the polls during municipal election. | Scharf.Chronicles, p.565-566;H+W, p.93 | |||||||||||
| 1858 | Nebraska | Nebraska City | October: Rash of thievery leads to Nebraska City News to call for vigilante violence. The News specifically references the Missouri river, which had become a favored means of lynching. "We hate to counsel any such thing we hate to have our citizens resort to such a course of proceedure; the river is getting cold and damp, owing to the lateness of the season and the late excessive rains - a shower bath, say to remain in over night, wouldn't be very inviting and comfortable, would it ye prowling midnight burglars and horse thieves." | The Nebraska City News, October 30, 1858. | PTH | ||||||||||
| 1858 | California | Santa Barbara | November: On the 30th, Pancho Daniel "taken from jail and hanged" for alleged murder. | Los Angeles Star, 12 June 1858 as listed in Carrigan and Webb, Forgotten Dead. | Pancho Daniel | PTH | |||||||||
| 1858 | New York | NYC | November: Election Day fighting. Mayor interfered in fighting in 6th ward. Dead Rabbits fire into the crowd. Police forget partisans elsewhere as well. | Cook.Armies, p.29-30 | |||||||||||
| 1858 | Kansas | SE Kansas | November: James Montgomery and other free-soilers on jayhawking spree, robbing house after house. | Nichols.Bleeding Kansas, p.234-235 | James Montgomery | ||||||||||
| 1858 | Kansas | SE Kansas | November: Pro-slavers out of Fort Scott go capture Benjamin Rice, who had been indicted for murder. But they turned him over to authorities in Fort Scott. | Nichols.Bleeding Kansas, p.235 | Benjamin Rice | ||||||||||
| 1858 | Colorado | Denver | November: William Larimer and his comrades threaten Charles Nichols with "a rope and noose" and jump his land claim. | Leonard, Lynching in Colorado, 15. | William Larimer | Charles Nichols | PTH | ||||||||
| 1858 | Kansas | Fort Scott, Kansas | December: James Montgomery leads free-soilers in jail rescue of Benjamin Rice. Only one pro-slaver resisted, J.H. Little. After he fired on the rescuers, he was killed by the return fire. The jayhawkers then plundered $7,000 worth of goods from his store. | Nichols.Bleeding Kansas, p.235 | James Montgomery | J.H. Little | |||||||||
| 1858 | Minnesota | Lexington, Le Sueur Co | December: Charles Rinehard hanged for alleged murder | Bessler, Legacy of Violence, 5-6 as listed in Pfeifer, The Roots of Rough Justice. | Charles Rinehart | PTH | |||||||||
| 1859 | Colorado | Cache La Poudre | Unknown victim lynched for alleged murder. | Leonard, Lynching in Colorado, Table A.1 | PTH | ||||||||||
| 1859 | Nebraska | Omaha, NE | A vigilance committee seized a young man accused of attempting to burglarize a jewelry store. They put a noose around his neck, but was cut down and allowed to fall into a snow drift. He was then allowed to run, as the vigilantes fired shots in his direction. | Sorenson, Early History of Omaha, 126. | PTH | ||||||||||
| 1859 | Missouri | Troy, Lincoln Co., Missouri | January: Burning of enslaved man belonging to Simeon Thornhill for allegedly murdering master | Maysville Eagle (Maysville, KY). January 8, 1859 as listed in Pfeifer, The Roots of Rough Justice. | PTH | ||||||||||
| 1859 | Missouri | Kansas-Missouri border | January: Captain Ely Snyder leads jayhawking raid into Missouri, attacking a Ruffian headquarters. When they refused to surrender, Snyder had the building burnt. Four men perished in the flames. | Nichols.Bleeding Kansas, p.238 | Ely Snyder | ||||||||||
| 1859 | Louisiana | Attakapas County, Louisiana | March - September: Cajun counties of Calcasiea, Lafayette, St. Landry, St. Martin, and Vermillion organize Vigilance committees to stop crime wave. Whip and even execute accused criminals in a number of incidents. Banish many. | Griffen. "Early Louisiana Justice," p.146-159 | |||||||||||
| 1859 | Colorado | Denver, CO | April: A People's Court lynches John Stuffle for alleged murder. | Leonard, Lynching in Colorado, Table A.1 | John Stuffle | PTH | |||||||||
| 1859 | Texas | Smithfield, Polk Co., TX | April: Burning of Alfred, an enslaved man belonging to a Mr. Roper for alleged murder and robbery of master | Galveston Weekly News, May 17, 1859 as listed in Pfeifer, The Roots of Rough Justice. | Alfred | PTH | |||||||||
| 1859 | Minnesota | Wright Co., MN | April: Lynching of Oscar F. Jackson for an unknown offense. | New York Times, August 1859 as listed in Pfeifer, The Roots of Rough Justice. | Oscar F. Jackson | PTH | |||||||||
| 1859 | Missouri | Kansas-Missouri Border | January: James Montgomery leads jayhawking expeditions into Missouri to discourage immigration to Kansas. | Nichols.Bleeding Kansas, p.237-239 | James Montgomery | ||||||||||
| 1859 | Colorado | Auroria | March: Auroria claim club organized | Daily national Democrat. [volume] (Marysville, Calif.) 1858-1861, May 15, 1859, Image 3, brought to you by University of California, Riverside; Riverside, CA, and the National Digital Newspaper Program. | PTH | ||||||||||
| 1859 | Colorado | Beaver Creek | May: A miner's court tried a man name Bradt. Bradt had tried to pass off brass filings for gold. Verdict unknown, but the paper seemed to think a lynching loomed. "There is no appeal," the paper wrote, "from the court of Judge Lynch." | "Lynching on the Plains." Omaha Nebraskian, 21 May 1859. | Bradt | PTH | |||||||||
| 1859 | Nebraska | Nebraska City | May: A county convention held in Nebraska City to select delegates to attend the Kansas Constitutional Convention. O.P. Mason punches General Calhoun, and a brawl erupts between each man's supporters. | The Nebraska City News, May 14, 1859 | Calhoun; Oliver Perry Mason | PTH | |||||||||
| 1859 | Nebraska | Nebraska City | May: A German doctor, Raynor, shot Gideon Bennett in the leg. Raynor had been trying to take Bennett to jail when Bennett attacked Raynor with a club, prompting the shooting. Raynor was placed in jail but released, thanks to the testimony of Francis Bell and B.P. Rankin. A mob grew angry at the news of the shooting and threatened to lynch Raynor, but were eventually calmed by Judge Miller. | The Nebraska City News, May 14, 1859 | Raynor | PTH | |||||||||
| 1859 | Arizona | Sonoita Valley, AZ | May: On the 9th, four unknown Mexicans shot and killed. An Anglo had been murdered, and other Anglos were attempting to drive Mexicans from the region when the killings occured. | Tuscon Weekly Arizonian, 12-28 May 1859 as listed in Carrigan and Webb, Forgotten Dead. | PTH | ||||||||||
| 1859 | Missouri | Western Missouri | May: John Doy arrested and convicted for slave stealing, but was rescued and sent by underground to Iowa. | Nichols.Bleeding Kansas, p.242 | |||||||||||
| 1859 | Colorado | Denver | June: Two men gave Natives whiskey. An article in the press threatened these men with a Vigilance Committee, "pledged to lynch any man found engaged in giving or selling intoxicating liquor to the Indians, and thus endangering the safety of the settlers." | The Rocky Mountain News, June 18, 1859 | PTH | ||||||||||
| 1859 | Iowa | Tabor | June: A "midnight mob" broke into a man's home, tarred and feathered him, forced him to ride a rail, and banished him from the place. The violence was allegedly prompted by "some domestic differences." Local community excused and applauded the action, save for at least one man who wrote dissaprovingly in the paper. | The Nebraska City News, June 18, 1859 | PTH | ||||||||||
| 1859 | Texas | Hopkins Co., TX | July: Hanging of enslaved man for alleged attempted rape of white woman | Randolph B. Campbell, An Empire for Slavery: The Peculiar Institution in Texas, 1821-1865 (Baton Rogue: Louisiana State University Press, 1989), 105 as listed in Pfeifer, The Roots of Rough Justice. | PTH | ||||||||||
| 1859 | Texas | Dresden, Navarro Co., TX | July: Hanging of enslaved man belonging "Mr. Blanton, of Ellis county" for alleged murder and robbery | Galveston Weekly News, August 6, 1859 as listed in Pfeifer, The Roots of Rough Justice. | PTH | ||||||||||
| 1859 | Missouri | Arrow Rock, Saline Co., MO | July: Hanging of enslaved man belonging to Dr. William Price for allegedly assualting a white girl | Thomas G. Dyer, "A Most Unexampled Exhibition of Madness and Brutality: Judge Lynch in Saline County, Missouri" in Under Sentence of Death: Lynching in the South, ed. W. Fitzhugh Brundage (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1997), 87 as listed in Pfeifer, The Roots of Rough Justice. | PTH | ||||||||||
| 1859 | Missouri | Marshall, Saline Co., MO | July: Burning of John, an enslaved man, for alleged murder. | Hurt, Agriculture and Slavery, 250 as listed in Pfeifer, The Roots of Rough Justice. | John | PTH | |||||||||
| 1859 | Missouri | Marshall, Saline Co., MO | July: Hanging of Jim, an enslaved man, for alleged attempted rape | Hurt, Agriculture and Slavery, 250 as listed in Pfeifer, The Roots of Rough Justice. | Jim | PTH | |||||||||
| 1859 | Missouri | Marshall, Saline Co., MO | July: Hanging of Holman, an enslaved man, for allegedly stabbing a white man | Hurt, Agriculture and Slavery, 250 as listed in Pfeifer, The Roots of Rough Justice. | Holman | PTH | |||||||||
| 1859 | Missouri | Holt Co. | August: A vigilance committee is formed in response to alleged arson. A Mr. Walker, his son, and son-in-law all ordered to leave the county. | Nebraska Advertiser, August 11, 1859 | Walker | PTH | |||||||||
| 1859 | Missouri | Princeton | August: Jessie Williams, "an old and wealthy citizen of Caldwell Co." was taken from jail and lynched. He had been charged with murder, stealing, and cruelty to slaves. His sons John and James fled. Dr. Singleton, Mansfield, Morse, and Strawmal, all allegedly connected to Williams, "were severely punished, and ordered to leave the county." | Jessie Williams; James Williams; John Williams; Singleton; Mansfield; Morse; Strawmal | PTH | ||||||||||
| 1859 | Arizona | Tucson | August: On the 3rd, Rafael Polaco hanged for alleged murder. | Weekly Arizonian, 30 June and 20 October 1859 as listed in Carrigan and Webb, Forgotten Dead. | Rafael Polaco | PTH | |||||||||
| 1859 | California | Near Santa Barbara | August: On the 23rd, after Francisco Badillo was found not guilty of horse theft, both Badillo and his son were lynched. | Los Angeles Star, 3 Sept. 1859 as listed in Carrigan and Webb, Forgotten Dead. | Francisco Badillo | PTH | |||||||||
| 1859 | Kansas | Atchison | August: A vigilance committee, organized to counter horse thieves, lynched a man named Nelson. Horse thieves near Elwood attacked the vigilantes, wounding three of them. One of those wounded vigilantes thought to be wounded fatally. | The Rocky Mountain News, September 10, 1859 | Nelson | PTH | |||||||||
| 1859 | Kansas | Leavenworth | September: A band of vigilantes lynched an alleged horse thief named Pendergrast. He was reportedly hanged and then thrown into the river. | The Rocky Mountain News, September 10, 1859 | Pendergrast | PTH | |||||||||
| 1859 | Colorado | Golden, CO | September: Edgar Vanover lynched for alleged assualt. Vanover had been a filibuster in Nicaragua | Leonard, Lynching in Colorado, Table A.1 and The Rocky Mountain News, September 10, 1859 | Edgar Vanover | PTH | |||||||||
| 1859 | New Jersey | Hudson, NJ | September: Striking riot over cut in wages. Also contractor stole or took savings and wages. | Grimsted. "Antebellum Labor," p.10, N.32 | |||||||||||
| 1859 | Louisiana | Lafayette, LA | September: Anti-vigilantes gather force estimated as large as 1800 men to attack town. Vigilantes strike first, attack with a cannon, driving vigilante criminals in retreat, capturing 200. All but 80 released. Remaining 80 whipped. | Griffen. "Early Louisiana Justice," Proc. MVHS 8 (1914 - 1915) p.158-159 | |||||||||||
| 1859 | Arizona | Near Tubac, AZ | October: Unknown Mexican shot and then had ears cut off for alleged murder. | Tucson Weekly Arizonian, 20 Oct 1859 as listed in Carrigan and Webb, Forgotten Dead. | PTH | ||||||||||
| 1859 | Illinois | Mound City, Pulaski Co. | October: Hanging of James Vaughan for alleged murder | New York Times, October 17, 1859 as listed in Pfeifer, The Roots of Rough Justice. | James Vaughan | PTH | |||||||||
| 1859 | Texas | Brownsville, TX | November: Tomás Cabrera taken from jail and lynched for alleged murder. | Corpus Christi Ranchero, 26 Nov. 1859 as listed in Carrigan and Webb, Forgotten Dead. | Tomás Cabrera | PTH | |||||||||
| 1859 | South Carolina | Barnville District, SC | November: Vigilantes seize T.A. Salvo, a northern piano tuner, accuse him of being an abolitionist, tar and feather him, shave part of his head, and ride him through town on a rail. | McCurry.Masters of Small Worlds | T.A. Salvo | ||||||||||
| 1859 | Maryland | Baltimore | November: Election disturbances forHouse of Delegates elections. At least one person dies. Voters beaten and intimidated. Many captured and forced to vote repeatedly. Good description of procedures in Scharf. Note - reform candidates win local election. | Scharf, p.570-574; H+W, p.93; Tuska, p.242-244 | |||||||||||
| 1859 | Georgia | Waynesboro | December: Book agent allegedly hanged and burned for preaching to slaves. | Nebraska Advertiser, Janurary 5, 1860 | PTH | ||||||||||
| 1859 | Georgia | Sylvania | December: Two book agents recieve thirty-nine lashes each. | Nebraska Advertiser, Janurary 5, 1860 | PTH | ||||||||||
| 1859 | Virginia | Scottville | December: Black crowd burns John Brown in effigy | Nebraska Advertiser, Janurary 5, 1860 | John Brown | PTH | |||||||||
| 1859 | Alabama | Clayton | December: A crowd tarred and feathered and abolitionist, and rode him on a rail. They gave the man two days to leave the state. | Nebraska Advertiser, Janurary 5, 1860 | PTH | ||||||||||
| 1859 | South Carolina | Columbia | December: A workman taken from the the State House in Columbus for "incendiary language" regarding slavery. A vigilance committee siezed the man, gave him twenty-nine lashes, and tarred and feathered him. | Nebraska Advertiser, Janurary 5, 1860 | PTH | ||||||||||
| 1859 | Missouri | Bolivar | December: Race riot in Bolivar with reported violence between black and white residents. Guns and pistols reportedly used on both sides, and one black man injured. A vigilance committee was formed to hunt down the fleeing African American combatants. The slaveholder of some of the enslaved himself "badly wounded" and had to flee to save preserve his life. | Nebraska Advertiser, Janurary 5, 1860 | PTH | ||||||||||
| 1860 | Colorado | Tarryall, CO | McFarland lynched for alleged theft. | Leonard, Lynching in Colorado, Table A.1 | McFarland | PTH | |||||||||
| 1860 | Colorado | Near Divide, CO | A People's Court lynched John Fillmore for alleged murder. | Leonard, Lynching in Colorado, Table A.1 | Fleming | PTH | |||||||||
| 1860 | Flordia | Tampa, FL | January: Lynching of an enslaved black person convicted of murder, but whose execution had been delayed by court action. | Ingalls. "Lynching…,"Journal of Southern History(1987) p.616 | |||||||||||
| 1860 | Colorado | Denver | January: On Janurary 30th, several men "jumped" part of Denver and began constructing a building. The next day, the claim club met, and around eighty members went to the site to disposses the jumpers. However, the four men working on the building produced rifles which they aimed at the club members. Mayor John C. Moore when to negotiate with the jumpers, and noted that they had some forty guns. The jumpers assured Moore they would fight to the death. Eventually, the claim club withdrew from the contested land. | The Rocky Mountian News, February 8, 1860 | John C. Moore | PTH | |||||||||
| 1860 | Colorado | Mountain City | February: Some young men in Mountain City rented the City Hall for a private dance. W.W. Atkins, known as "Pennsyltuck" and a number of other young men broke down the door, forced a number of party goers to flee out of second-story windows, and assaulted at least one young man. | The Rocky Mountain News, Feb 15 1860 | W.W. "Pennsyltuck" Atkins | PTH | |||||||||
| 1860 | Colorado | Mountain City | February: Brought to court the day after the assault on the dance, Pennsyltuck threatened to kill the prosecutor and "clean out the Court." Sheriff J.H. Kehler and twenty armed men guarded the proceedings. The jury declared Pennsyltuck not guilty. Pennsyltuck then pushed the sheriff, exclaimed "don't shoot," and took a shot at the sheriff through his coat. Kehler returned fire and shot Pennsyltuck through the chest, wounding him badly. Dr. Thompson treated the wounded young man. The people of Mountain City subsequently formed a Vigilance Committee and banished one of Pennsyltuck's friends. Pennsyltuck began to slowly recover, and entered into the care of Dr. Rudolph Erdhmann. | The Rocky Mountain News, Feb 15 1860 | W.W. "Pennsyltuck" Atkins | W.W. "Pennsyltuck" Atkins; J.H. Kehler | PTH | ||||||||
| 1860 | Colorado | Denver | February: The "Turkey War." Anger over a rach of petty theft exploded after the robbery of a wagon full of turkeys. Residents appointed a committee to investigate the turkey heist, which alleged that Thomas Clemo, William "Chuck-a-luck" Todd, Willian Harvey and William "Buckskin Bill" Karl were guilty. The accused, known as the "Bummers" began to parade through the streets with their allies. The Bummers were armed. Former sheriff W.H. Middaugh, who had been a witness against the Bummers, was shot at twice, first by a McCarty and then by William Harvey. The Jefferson Rangers, a militia, began to patrol the area. Meanwhile, McCarty thretened Thomas Pollock with a Bowie knife. Pollock left and returned armed. McCarty tried to cut Pollock, who bashed him over the head with his rifle and rendered him unconscious. Harvey too threatened Pollock, but Pollock's friends took aim at Harvey, who retreated prompty. The committee ordered Todd, Harvey, and Karl to leave the city within five hours or be hanged. | The Rocky Mountian News, February 8, 1860 | Thomas Clemo; William "Chuck-a-luck" Todd; Willian Harvey; William "Buckskin Bill" Karl; Thomas Pollock | Thomas Clemo; William "Chuck-a-luck" Todd; Willian Harvey; William "Buckskin Bill" Karl; W.H. Middaugh; Thomas Pollock | PTH | ||||||||
| 1860 | Colorado | Denver | February: Reports spread that George Steele, previosuly banished from Denver twice, had returned to the city and made threats against the lives of three or four residents. Two unsuccessful attempts were made on apprehending Steele. | The Rocky Mountian News, February 8, 1860 | George Steele | George Steele | |||||||||
| 1860 | Colorado | Denver | February: During the night, a party, undoubtedly comprised of claim club men, tore down the house on the contested claim from January. The alleged jumpers blamed R.E. Whitsitt for the act, and made a threat against his life. The claim club met again to draft resolution. Shortly after, Captain William H. Parkison and five of his friends, all armed and implicated in the jumping, confronted Major R.B. Bradford. Parkison, with a loaded rifle in one hand and a loaded revolver in the other, pointed the rifle at Bradford and accused him of making false statements at the claim meeting. Bradford denied the charge, but Parkison fired three shots at his head, each missing closely. Threats of arson against Denver were allegedly made, and arms patrols kept watch overnight. E.W. Wynkoop, representing the jumpers Parkison, Thompson, and Mickie, proposing to abandon the claim in exchange for the town company reimbursing the "expenses occured thereon." This agreement seemed to be acceptable to all. | The Rocky Mountian News, February 8, 1860 | William H. Parkison; R.B. Bradford; R.E. Whitsitt | William H. Parkison; R.B. Bradford; R.E. Whitsitt | PTH | ||||||||
| 1860 | Colorado | Missouri City, CO | February: Members of a vigilance committee siezed W.W. "Pennsyltuck" Atkins from the bed where he was recuperating. He had been shot by Sheriff Kehler some weeks prior. The men hanged Atkins during the night. Claims appeared in the paper that the vigilantes only lynched Pennsyltuck because he was making murderous threats while recovering. Dr. Erdhmann, who had been treating the victim, denied these claims, and insisted that Pennsyltuck had only expressed sorrow and desire to reform. | Leonard, Lynching in Colorado, Table A.1 and The Rocky Mountain News, March 21, 1860 | W.W. "Pennsyltuck" Atkins | PTH | |||||||||
| 1860 | Massachusetts | Lynn, MA | February: Minor acts of violence during strike after outside authorities called in to put strike down. | Grimsted. "Antebellum Labor," p.11 | |||||||||||
| 1860 | Colorado | Denver, CO | March: People's Court lynches Moses Young for alleged murder. | Leonard, Lynching in Colorado, Table A.1 | Moses Young | PTH | |||||||||
| 1860 | Pennsylvania | Philadelphia | March: Fugitive slave law riot where black people attempt to rescue slave in question outside courthouse. Some white support in courthouse. 10 arrested. | Leane.Roots of Violence, p.49; Scharf and Wescott, p.734 | |||||||||||
| 1860 | Kansas | Ossawatamie | March: An alleged horse thief named Guthrie lynched. | The Rocky Mountain News, March 7, 1860 | Guthrie | PTH | |||||||||
| 1860 | Colorado | Keystone district | March: Residents formed the Farmer's Claim Association, a claim club "in defence of our property and families." | The Rocky Mountain News, March 28, 1860 | PTH | ||||||||||
| 1860 | Colorado | Colorado City, CO | Spring: Unknown Mexican lynched by vigilance committee for alleged theft. | New York Times, 3 Sept. 1860 as listed in Carrigan and Webb, Forgotten Dead. | PTH | ||||||||||
| 1860 | Colorado | Golden Gate Township | April: Golden Gate Claim Club organized. | The Western Mountaineer, April 25, 1860. | PTH | ||||||||||
| 1860 | Illinois | Jacksonville, Illinois | May: After John Sprague was found guilty of molesting a child and fined $100, the child's father took a carriage whip and lashed Sprague in the town square before a crowd of 200 to 300. | Doyle.Social Order, p.211 | John Sprague | ||||||||||
| 1860 | Colorado | Denver, CO | June: A People's Court, 3,800 strong, lynches Marcus Gredler for alleged murder. | Leonard, Lynching in Colorado, Table A.1 | Marcus Gredler | PTH | |||||||||
| 1860 | Colorado | Hangman's Canon | June: Unknown victim lynched for alleged horse theft. | Leonard, Lynching in Colorado, Table A.1 | PTH | ||||||||||
| 1860 | Colorado | Denver | June: A People's Court tried William F. Hadley for stabbing to death J.B. Card. Court found Hadley guilty and sentenced him to be lynched. Rumors spread of a plan to rescue Hadley, and, sure enough, he escaped the jail before he could be executed. | The Rocky Mountain News, June 27, 1860 | William F. Hadley | PTH | |||||||||
| 1860 | Iowa | Batavia, Jefferson Co., IA | July: Hanging of John Kephart for alleged murder | Fairfield Ledger, July 13, 1860 as listed in Pfeifer, The Roots of Rough Justice. | John Kephart | PTH | |||||||||
| 1860 | Nebraska | Plattsmouth | August: A man killed one of two brothers on Salt Creek. They were returning from the mines. The killer was overtaken at Fort Kearney, and brought to Plattsmouth. The people there threatened a lynching, but gave the man up to the law. | The Nebraska City News, August 25, 1860 | PTH | ||||||||||
| 1860 | Kansas | Atchison | August: Rumor that a man who had allegedly torched the steamer Hesperian was about to enter into the jurisdiction of "Judge Lynch." | The Nebraska City News, August 25, 1860 | PTH | ||||||||||
| 1860 | California | San Francisco | August: Rival fire companies fight. | Greenberg.Cause for Alarm, p.105 | |||||||||||
| 1860 | Missouri | St. Joseph | July: Vigilantes from Iowa track Martin T. Wright to Missouri. They suspected Wright of stealing horses. Near St. Joseph, Wight ditched the horse and stole two mules, but was captured. The residents voted to send a committee with Wright into the woods, either to lynch the man or secure a confession. The vigilantes put a noose around Wright's neck a he swung once or twice before confession. At this, the vigilantes cut him down and administered one hundred and twenty lashes, before placing him in the St. Joseph jail. | The Western Mountaineer, August 2, 1860 | Meek | Martin T. Wright | PTH | ||||||||
| 1860 | Missouri | St. Joseph | July: Some unknown people rescue Martin T. Wright, and four or five other prisoners, from the St. Joseph jail. | The Western Mountaineer, August 2, 1860 | PTH | ||||||||||
| 1860 | Missouri | Hannibal | July: Martin T. Wright allegedly stole another horse near Hannibal, but the men from St. Joseph recaptured him. They promptly lynched him. | The Western Mountaineer, August 2, 1860 | Martin T. Wright | PTH | |||||||||
| 1860 | Colorado | Colorado City | July: Unknown, reportedly Mexican victim lynched for alleged horse theft. | Leonard, Lynching in Colorado, Table A.1 and The Western Mountaineer, August 2, 1860 | PTH | ||||||||||
| 1860 | Texas | Dallas | July: Three black men - Pat Jennings, Sam Smith, and Cato - hanged for alleged insurrectionary plotting. A vigilance committee arrested and interrogated nearly one hundred black people. Rumors abounded that the hanged men planned to burn the town, kill the elderly, poison the people, and "to seize and to approproate the young and handsomest for their villainous purposes." | The Nebraska City News, August 25, 1860 | Pat Jennings; Sam Smith; Cato | PTH | |||||||||
| 1860 | Texas | Waxahachie | July: More rumors of poison and insurrection. White vigilance committee targets black population. Several lynchings occur - at least four, maybe more. Committee of Vigilance in session all day. | The Nebraska City News, August 25, 1860 | |||||||||||
| 1860 | Colorado | Denver | July: Three suspiscious men pursued by vigilantes searching for Gordon. They men had stolen some mules. One, Frank Mulligan drowned when trying to escape across a river. Jesse Ogden was thought to have escaped. The vigilantes captured Samuel K. Dunn. A trial sentenced Dunn to twenty-five lashes and banishment. | The Rocky Mountain News, July 25, 1860 | Thomas Pollock | Frank Mulligan; Samuel K. Dunn; Jesse Ogden | PTH | ||||||||
| 1860 | Colorado | Denver | July: Carl Wood and two friends, irritated with the Rocky Mountain News, seized William N. Byers from his officer, and took him to Harrison's saloon. The men made threats against Byers's life, but Harrison helped him escape out a back door. Wood and a friend, George Steele, went to shoot Byers. Instead, Steele was shot and killed and Wood arrested. A People's Court tried Wood, defended by A.C. Ford. The court ordered Wood banished instead of lynched, to the chagrin of the News. | Leonard, Lynching in Colorado, 22. | Carl Wood; George Steele | William N. Byers; Carl Wood | PTH | ||||||||
| 1860 | Colorado | Near Denver, CO | September: Vigilantes lynch John Shear for alleged horse theft. Shear was a member of the city council and a founder of the city library. | Leonard, Lynching in Colorado, Table A.1 | John Shear | PTH | |||||||||
| 1860 | South Carolina | Silverteill, SC | September: Vigilantes attack John N. Smith because he had taken in and protected a free black woman and her family. Accusing Smith of being an abolitionist, they, after failing on a first attempt, seized Smith, took him to the RR depot, and told him to leave town and never return. | McCurry.Masters of Small Worlds | John N. Smith | ||||||||||
| 1860 | Kansas | Leavenworth, Kansas | September: Mob attempts to take murderer James Gordon from officials. Althogh they roughed him up, ultimately their efforts failed. Gordon had murdered John Gantz in Denver and there were many Germans who knew the victim in Leavenworth. A judge had ordered Gordon's release because of jurisdictional questions. | Gower. "Vigilantes," Colorado Magazine, 41 (series) 1941, 93-104 and Leonard, Lynching in Colorado, Table A.1 | James Gordon | ||||||||||
| 1860 | Colorado | Near Denver, CO | September: Vigilantes lynch James Latta for alleged horse theft. | Leonard, Lynching in Colorado, Table A.1 | James Latta | PTH | |||||||||
| 1860 | Colorado | Denver | September: Vigilante court tries, convicts and sentences to hanging murderer James Gordon. A marshal took Gordon from Leavenworth to Denver for this purpose. Gordon was hanged on October 6th. The court had no legal basis. W.P. McLure served as Gordon's lawyer, William Larimer served as a judge. | Gower. "Vigilantes," Col. Mag., 41 (1941) 93-104 and Leonard, Lynching in Colorado, Table A.1 | James Gordon | PTH Edits | |||||||||
| 1860 | Colorado | Near Denver, CO | September: Vigilantes shoot A. C. Ford for alleged horse theft. Ford was a lawyer. Note reading "Executed by the Vigilance Committee" found on Ford's corpse. | Leonard, Lynching in Colorado, Table A.1 | A. C. Ford | PTH | |||||||||
| 1860 | Colorado | Denver, CO | September: A man called Black Hawk lynched for alleged horse theft. | Leonard, Lynching in Colorado, Table A.1 | Black Hawk | PTH | |||||||||
| 1860 | Nebraska | Fremont Springs | September: Edward Creighton reported that a "lynching" had occured on the plains. Lynching here used in the old way, meaning simply crowd punishment. Edwards had shot a man named Torry in the head, but not fatally. The men at the encampment siezed Edwards and gave him one hundred lashes on his bare back. They left him go thereafter. Creighton was present when this all happened. | The Western Mountaineer, October 11, 1860 | Edward Creighton | Edwards | PTH | ||||||||
| 1860 | Alabama | Tuskegee, Macon Co. | October: Burning of enslaved "boy belonging to Maj. Cocke." | Sellers, Slavery in Alabama, 264 as listed in Pfeifer, Roots of Rough Justice. | PTH | ||||||||||
| 1860 | Iowa | Pottawattamie Co., IA | October: Hanging of Philip McGuire for allegedly kidnapping and attempting to sell a man and woman into slavery as well as for alleged theft | Black, "Lynchings in Iowa," 209 as listed in Pfeifer, The Roots of Rough Justice. | Philip McGuire | PTH | |||||||||
| 1860 | New York | NYC | October: Gang of ruffians, about 100 strong, attack an under-manned Engine company 19 on its way to a fire. The attack occurred at 19th street. The gang drove the firemen off, wounding several and upset and damaged the engine. | Costello.Our Firemen, p.182-183 | |||||||||||
| 1860 | Colorado | Denver | November: William Park McLure, a judge under the provisional government, arrested for attempted murder. McLure refused to recognize the authority of the court, and walked out. Re-arrested, McLure was found guilty. Twenty of McLure's friends rescued him from custody, however, and spirited him away to Ki Harrison's Saloon. He later took refuge at the Post Office After the rescue, McLure's friends made threats against The Rocky Mountain News. An armed mob then gathered outside the post office to sieze McLure. Edward Wynkoop eventually persuaded McLure to pay his bond and the excitment ended. | The Rocky Mountain News, November 3, 1860 | William Park McLure | William Park McLure | PTH | ||||||||
| 1860 | Kansas | SE Kansas | November: Jayhawkers try and hang border ruffian Russell Hirds for "man stealing." He had hunted down and returned to Missouri a fugitive slave. | Nichols.Bleeding Kansas, p.243 | Russell Hirds | ||||||||||
| 1860 | Missouri | Callaway Co., Missouri | November: Hanging of enslaved woman for alleged murder of white woman | St. Louis Bulletin, November 8, 1860, quoted in Sante Fe Gazette, December 15, 1860 as listed in Pfeifer, The Roots of Rough Justice. | PTH | ||||||||||
| 1860 | Iowa | Glenwood, Mills Co. | November: Vigilance Committee arrests George Gordon for horse stealing. They held a trial and sentenced Gordon to death. Law enforcement arrived at the last second and rescued and took custody of Gordon. | The Nebraska City News, November 10, 1860 | George Gordon | PTH | |||||||||
| 1860 | Colorado | Golden | November: Residents of Golden whip a person for stealing. | The Western Mountaineer, November 8, 1860 | PTH | ||||||||||
| 1860 | Colorado | Spring Gulch | November: A legal dispute erupts over a house in Spring Gulch. When the Spring Gulch judge ruled against one man, he turns to Nevada district for help. The judge in Nevada issues an inuction, ordering the property not to be sold. The Spring Gulch men ignored this order and sold the house. Nevada district issued warrents to arrest the judge, sheriff, and deputy of Spring Gulch, and succeeded in capturing the judge. After some sort of trial, the Spring Gulch judge was ordered to never serve as judge again in Spring Gulch, lest he recieve thirty nine lashes and be fined fifty dollars. The Spring Gulch judge refused to recognize the court or judgement, and labeled the Nevada actors as a "lawless mob." The judge eventually left without punishment. | The Rocky Mountain News, November 24, 1860 | PTH | ||||||||||
| 1860 | Colorado | Denver, CO | December: People's Court lynches Patrick Waters for the alleged murder of Thomas R. Freeman. | Leonard, Lynching in Colorado, Table A.1 | William N. Byers | Patrick Waters | PTH | ||||||||
| 1860 | Colorado | Denver, CO | December: Criticism of the lynching of Pat Waters met with a threat in the paper. "Legal gentlemen, we advise you to be careful of how you trifle with the interests of this community, or you may speedily meet woth retributive justice from the hands of the People." The article was signed "Vox Populi." | The Rocky Mountain News, December 20, 1860 | PTH | ||||||||||
| 1860 | Arizona | Arizona City | December: On the 26th, Mateo García hanged for alleged murder. | Los Angeles Semi-Weekly Southern News, 30 Jan. 1861 as listed in Carrigan and Webb, Forgotten Dead. | Mateo García | PTH | |||||||||
| 1860 | Massachusetts | Boston | December: Public meeting commemorating the 1st anniversary of John Brown's execution attacked by a mob. Frederick Douglass, among others, fought against the attacks. | Katz.Resistance at Christiane | Frederick Douglass | ||||||||||
| 1861 | Nebraska | Omaha, NE | Authorities arrested James Bouve and John S. Iler for assualting and robbing a local woman. A crowd gathered, formed an extralegal committee, and interrogated both men in their cells. Iler confessed. An extrajudicial trial was then organized. Iler was granted leniancy, but the crowd voted to lynch Bouve. One man, Robert A. Howard, begged the crowd to let the law handle justice, but he was not heeded. Vigilantes stormed the jail and hanged Bouve from a ceiling beam. Iler was told to leave, and shots were fired at him, possibly to scare him, as he ran. | Sorenson, History of Omaha, 123. | James Bouve; John S. Iler | PTH | |||||||||
| 1861 | South Carolina | Interior of the State, SC | Burning of "favorite household servants" for alleged "revolt" and murder of master's family | New York Times, December 1, 1861 as listed on Pfeifer, The Roots of Rough Justice. | PTH | ||||||||||
| 1861 | Colorado | Near Welby | Janurary: Jefferson Claim Claim Club founded. | The Rocky Mountain News, January 10, 1861 | Jonas Brantner; David Wolport; E.D. Baldwin; John Denny; | PTH | |||||||||
| 1861 | Colorado | Russell Gulch | Janurary: A young man shot another man in the head. The crowd shaved and flogged him in punishment, and ordered him to flee town within eighteen hours. | The Rocky Mountain News January 18, 1861 | PTH | ||||||||||
| 1861 | Maryland | Baltimore | April: Union troops on their way to Washington and marching between train stations were attacked by mobs led by "Plug Uglies." Shots were exchanged. Casualties on both sides. 7 soldiers killed, 12 citizens killed. | Andrews.History of Maryland, p.511-525 | |||||||||||
| 1861 | South Carolina | Charleston | February: A vigilance committee arrested a soldier named Dodge at Fort Moultrie accused of being a correspondant to the NY Tribune. The committee forced the soldier to leave the state. | The Nebraska City News, February 2, 1861 | Dodge | PTH | |||||||||
| 1861 | Georgia | Milledgeville | Feburary: A mob siezed an enslaved man, George from jail, where he was being held for alleged rape or attempted rape. The mob burned George to death. | Reports of Cases in Law and Equity Argued and Determined in the Supreme Court of the State of Georgia, 1864-1866, 506-509. | George | PTH | |||||||||
| 1861 | Texas | Galveston | March: a "vigilance committee" under a Sherman siezes a ship with oil meant for the Galveston lighthouses. | The Nebraska City News, March 23, 1861 | Sherman | PTH | |||||||||
| 1861 | New Mexico | Mesilla, NM | March: On the 22nd, an unknown Mexican lynched for alleged theft. | Sante Fe Gazette, 13 April 1861 as listed in Carrigan and Webb, Forgotten Dead. | PTH | ||||||||||
| 1861 | Virginia | Fairfax | April: A vigilance committee threatens 35 students from the Episcopal Seminary, who flee to the free states | The Nebraska City News, April 27, 1861 | PTH | ||||||||||
| 1861 | New Mexico | Mesilla, NM | April: On the 10th, an unknown Mexican lynched for alleged theft. | Mesilla Times, 23 Mar. 1861 as listed in Carrigan and Webb, Forgotten Dead. | PTH | ||||||||||
| 1861 | California | El Monte, CA | April: José Claudio Alvitre, accused of murdering his wife, lynched by "his countrymen." | Sacremento Union, 6 May 1861. | José Claudio Alvitre | PTH | |||||||||
| 1861 | California | California | May: Vigilantes lynch Cladio Alvitre for murdering his wife. | Blew. "Vigilantism," p.23 | Cladio Alvitre | ||||||||||
| 1861 | Illinois | Ogle Co., Illinois | June: Mob hanged a man on the suspicion that he sympathised with Confederacy. He was also believed to be an arsonist. | Gray.Hidden Civil War, p.68 | |||||||||||
| 1861 | Colorado | Trout Creek | August: Vigilantes remove alleged claim jumpers from Trout creek. | The Rocky Mountain News, August 13, 1861 | PTH | ||||||||||
| 1861 | New Hampshire | Concord | August: A mob consisting of the First New Hampshire Regiment Volunteers and others destroyed the printing materials of the Democratic Standard. The paper had printed material that the mob found offensive, charging the army with cowardice. | John B. Palmer v. City of Concord in Amos Hadley, Reports of Cases Argued and Determined in the Supreme Judicial Court of New Hampshire | John B. Palmer | PTH | |||||||||
| 1861 | California | Near San Luis Obispo | September: On the 13th, F. Rameris was hanged for alleged sexual assualt. He was rescued, only to be taken from the jail and hanged again. | Sacremento Union, 26 Sept 1861 as listed in Carrigan and Webb, Forgotten Dead. | F. Rameris | PTH | |||||||||
| 1861 | Colorado | Denver | November: At some point, Stephen Conroy jumped a Mr. Minter's claim. Minter belonged to a claim club, which duly dispossesed Conroy. Contry retaliated by allegedly poisoning two of Minter's dogs, and attacked Minter in the street. Later, Conroy again approach Minter making threats, and Conroy shot him dead. | The Rocky Mountain News, November 26, 1861 | Stephen Conroy; Minter | Stephen Conroy; Minter | PTH | ||||||||
| 1861 | Texas | Harrison | September: Burning of Green, an enslaved man, for alleged rape and murder of 12-year-old white girl | Marshall Republican (Marshall, TX), September 7, 1861 quoted in New Orleans Picayune, September 12, 1861 as listed in Pfeifer, The Roots of Rough Justice. | Green | PTH | |||||||||
| 1861 | Wisconsin | Milwaukee | September: Mob lynched a black prisoner in jail accused of murdering a white. The crowd shouted: "Damn the n*****s and abolitionists!" and tried to lynch another black person, but he escaped. The dead man's name was Marshall Clarke. | Voegeli.Free but..., p.9 and Pfeiffer, The Roots of Rough Justice. Milwaukee Sentinel, Sept 9 1861 and Daily Wisconsin (Milwaukee), September 9 1861. | Marshall Clarke | PTH Edits | |||||||||
| 1861 | California | Los Angeles | October: Young Francisco Cota taken from police officers and lynched. He had shot an Anglo shopkeeper and his wife. | Blew. "Vigilantism," p.23 | Francisco Cota | ||||||||||
| 1861 | Colorado | Lake Gulch, CO | April: A People's Court, 3000 strong, lynches Solomon Kennedy for alleged murder. | Leonard, Lynching in Colorado, Table A.1 | Solomon Kennedy | PTH | |||||||||
| 1861 | Kansas | Topeka | March: A horse thief named Edwards lynched for stabbing a member of the Pottawatami Nation and attempting to steal his pony. | The Rocky Mountain News, April 3, 1861 | Edwards | PTH | |||||||||
| 1861 | Maryland | Baltimore | April: Pro-Union and Pro Secession crowds gather as news of Fort Sumter arrived. Some jostling, hustling, when NC man confronted by an angry pro-Union crowd. | Scharf.Chronicles, p.586 | |||||||||||
| 1861 | Pennsylvania | Philadelphia | April: Large crowd gathers outside 337 Chestnut street, believing that a secessionist paper, The Palmetto Flag, was published there. Despite the mayor's entreaties, they would not disperse until a large American flag was displayed from the building. The demonstration convinced the Palmetto Flag publishers to suspend activities. Crowd also threatened a hotel for accidentally displaying flag upside-down and visited several locations demanding display of the flag. | Scharf and Wescott, p.753-753, 756 | |||||||||||
| 1861 | Maryland | Canton, MD | April: Mob waited for troop train from Philadelphia, stopped it, forced passengers off and then took over train and went to Baltimore destroying bridges along the way. Other railroad lines also cut. | No source given | |||||||||||
| 1861 | Maryland | Baltimore | April: Pro-secession mobs active in attacking local targets. One group sacked the German Turner Hall because it was reported that some German turners had volunteered to go to Washington in defense of the capital. Another group attacked the German abolition paper the Wecker at Frederick near Gay street. | Scharf.Chronicles, p.600-601 | |||||||||||
| 1861 | Maryland | Baltimore | April: A pro-secession "Vigilance Committee" holds permenant sessions in Barnum's Hotel and "spots" strangers. | The Nebraska City News, April 27, 1861 | PTH | ||||||||||
| 1861 | Indiana | Shelby, Indiana | April: Mob breaks up saloon owned by John Frakes, ostensibly for his pro-Confederate opinions. Frakes shot at the frolickers, and then fled the town. | Turbulent Times, 79-80 | John Frakes | ||||||||||
| 1861 | Ohio | Hocking County, Ohio | May: White mob tarred and feathered three black people for making comments that "they did not relish very well." They also asked several familieis to leave the area within six months. | Voegeli.Free But…, p.9 | PTH Edits | ||||||||||
| 1861 | Maryland | Baltimore | May: Pro-Union mobs beat outspoken secessionists upon arrival of the retreat of General Banks and rumor or Colonel Kenly's death at Front Royal Virginia. The crowd also beat those they suspected of being secessionists, and on the 26 and 27th sacked some house belonging to suspected individuals and beat other people. | Scharf.Chronicles, p.622-624 | |||||||||||
| 1861 | Pennsylvania | Philadelphia | June: Thomas Young declared in public that privateersmen should not be considered pirates and justified the shooting of Colonel Ellsworth. For this a crowd attacked him, and eventually seized him and took him to the police. He was released afterwards. | Scharf and Wescott, p.770 | Thomas Young | ||||||||||
| 1861 | Ohio | Cincinnati | June: Brawl between Irish and black stevedores, supposedly over the favors of an Irish girl lasted two days in Buckton. Mayor called out storer guards to quell it. | Harding. "Cincinnati Riots," 230 N.5 | |||||||||||
| 1861 | Colorado | Apex, CO | July: John Bishop lynched for alleged horse theft. | Leonard, Lynching in Colorado, Table A.1 | John Bishop | PTH | |||||||||
| 1861 | Indiana | Indianapolis | July: Mob forced editor of the Sentinel to take public loyalty oath. | Gray.Hidden Civil War, p.68 | |||||||||||
| 1861 | Indiana | Moscow, Rush County, Indiana | July: At a picnic someone shouted hurrah for Jeff Davis. This initiated a riot as Union supporting attacked shoe they thought were Southern in sympathy. | "Turbulent Times..," p.82 | |||||||||||
| 1861 | Massachusetts | Haverhill | August: A mob tarred and feathered and rode on a rail Ambrose L. Kimball, the editor of the Essex Co. Democrat. The publication was reportedly a "secession sheet." The mob forced Kimball to apologize on his knees and swear to never again aid the rebellion through pen. | The Daily Colorado Republican and Rocky Mountain Herald August 28, 1861 | Ambrose L. Kimball | PTH | |||||||||
| 1861 | Indiana | Wayne County, Indiana | August: Mob forcefully broke up Democratic rally. | Gray.Hidden Civil War, p.68 | |||||||||||
| 1861 | Indiana | Shelby, Indiana | August: Fight broke out between Germans and Americans at a dance at the Turner Hall. Two Germans were stabbed; one American stabbed. | "Turbulent Times," p.83 | |||||||||||
| 1861 | Ohio | Canton, Ohio | August: Mob gutted office of the Stark County Democrat because of its opposition to the war. | Gray.Hidden Civil War, p.68 | |||||||||||
| 1861 | Colorado | Denver, CO | September: Joseph W. Briggs lynched for alleged horse theft. | Leonard, Lynching in Colorado, Table A.1 | Joseph W. Briggs | PTH | |||||||||
| 1861 | Indiana | Shelbyville, Indiana | September: A man shouted hurrah for Jeff Davis, the marshal arrested him for protection when his friends attempted to rescue him, a riot broke out. At least 50 involved. Several seriously injured. | "Turbulent Times," p.83-84 | |||||||||||
| 1861 | Indiana | Terre Haute, Indiana | October: Democratic newspaper office of Journal and Herald gutted by Republican mob. Other newspapers threatened. | Gray.Hidden Civil War, p.68 | |||||||||||
| 1861 | California | Stockton, California | November: Anti-squatters attempt to evict John Balkwill from land that A. Drullard had bought from a Mexican claim. A gunbattle ensued with the attackers using a cannon on one well-entrenched man. When the sheriff arrived, he arrested the attackers for riot. | Hittell. III, p.689-690 | John Balkwill | ||||||||||
| 1861 | Colorado | Denver | December: A soldier was arrested and placed in the city jail. Officers and soldiers arrived and demanded the man's release. The jailer, being alone, gave the soldier up. | The Rocky Mountain News, December 21, 1861 | PTH | ||||||||||
| 1862 | Colorado | Empire, CO | A People's Court lynched John Fillmore for alleged murder. | Leonard, Lynching in Colorado, Table A.1 | John Fillmore | PTH | |||||||||
| 1862 | Colorado | Denver | January: Sheriff Howe attempted to arrest a soldier from Cpt. Cook's cavalry company on a two-week old warrent. Howe attempted to place the soldier in the county jail, but twenty of the prisoner's fellow soldiers assualted Howe and rescued their comrade. Later, Howe again arrested the man, prompting three or four of his comrades to make threats and gallop their horses through the crowd. An hour later, fifty fully armed soldiers, led by a mounted petty officer, surronded the jail and again rescued the man. Finally, Cook had the man arrested once again and delivered to Howe. | The Rocky Mountain News, January 7, 1862 | Howe | PTH | |||||||||
| 1862 | Nebraska | Nebraska City, NE | January: Two alleged Jayhawkers were killed by the people of Nebraska City. One was forced under the ice of the Missouri River until he drowned. The other was allowed to run before he was shot in the back. | Julius S. Morton and Albert Watkins, History of Nebraska From the Earliest Explorations of the Trans-Mississippi Region (Lincoln, NE: Western Publishing, 1918), 324. | PTH | ||||||||||
| 1862 | Kentucky | Franklin Co., KY | January: Hanging of "slave of 'Miss Pearce'" for alleged rape and murderous assualt | New York Times, Jan. 14, 1862 as listed in Pfeifer, The Roots of Rough Justice. | PTH | ||||||||||
| 1862 | California | Lake Elizabeth, California | March: Five persons allegedly lynched for cattle rustling. | Blew. "Vigilantism," p.23 | |||||||||||
| 1862 | Indiana | New Albany, Indiana | July: white mob beat, shot, and vadalized black section of town after a black person shot two whites. One black person killed. Many injured. | Voegeli.Free but…, p.34 | |||||||||||
| 1862 | Ohio | Toledo, Ohio | July: Racial strife over wages left one dead, several wounded and black shanties torn down. | Voegeli.Free but…, p.34 | |||||||||||
| 1862 | Pennsylvania | Archibald, Luzerne Co., PA | September: Enrollment officer on armed guard and Catholic priest at 1st successfully in enrolling Irish miners. Some scuffling occurred and some women arrested. In the evening a crowd attacked the hotel with the enrollment officer in it. In the ensuing riot stones were thrown and the military fired into the crowd, fatally shooting one man and wounding several others. | Palladino.Another Civil War, p.101 | |||||||||||
| 1862 | Ohio | Toledo | Race riot. | Schneider. "Detroit," Mi Hist., 58 (1974) | |||||||||||
| 1862 | Ohio | Cincinnati | March: Mob pelted Wendell Phillips with eggs and stones during his attempt to give a speech. He was whisked away when the crowd threatened to lynch or tar and feather him. | Voegili.Free But…, p.18 | Wendell Phillips | ||||||||||
| 1862 | Illinois | Chicago | April: Race riot. | Schneider. "Detroit," Mi Hi, 58 (1974) 11 | |||||||||||
| 1862 | Pennsylvania | Cass, PA | May: Strikers at the Hecksherville Colliery stopped the pumps that kept the mines free of water. In the Swatara district miners marched to neighboring mines and stopped the engines drawing the coal. The sheriff and a small force failed to disperse the crowd and the governor ordered a battalion to the area. Before it arrived the strike was settled. | Palladino.Another Civil War, p.125 | PTH Edits | ||||||||||
| 1862 | Illinois | Jacksonville, Illinois | May: Constable and six man posse enter Portuguese section - called Madiena - to recover a stolen horse. They were attacked by about 100 armed Portuguese. Later, Fry returned with white mob. But bloodshed avoided. This was referred to as the Battle of Madiera. | Doyle.Social Order, p.129 | |||||||||||
| 1862 | Louisiana | New Orleans | July: 40 slaves attempting to enter the city routed the police and were only subdued by the arrival of Federal troops. | Messner. "Black Violence," p.22 | |||||||||||
| 1862 | Illinois | Peoria, Illinois | July: Crowd of whites break into jail and beat a black prisoner who had slashed a policeman with a razor. | Voegili.Free but…, p.35 | |||||||||||
| 1862 | Michigan | Detroit | July: Protestors violently interrupt military rally in protest over draft. | Schneider. "Detroit," Mid Hist., 58 (1974) 11 | |||||||||||
| 1862 | Ohio | Lebanon, Ohio | July-August: Mob destroyed office of Democractic Citizen because of the papers' democratic sympathies. | Gray.The Hidden Civil War, p.89 | |||||||||||
| 1862 | Illinois | Bloomington, Illinois | July-August: Mob destroyed office of Bloomington Times because of the paper's copperhead sympathies. | Gray.Hidden Civil War, p.85 | |||||||||||
| 1862 | Ohio | Toledo, Ohio | July: Employees of grain and produce firms rioted over the use of black workers. | Gray.Hidden Civil War, p.99-100 | |||||||||||
| 1862 | Ohio | Cincinnati | July: Rioting between white and black boatmen triggered by competition over jobs and wages. Irish coworkers attacked black people, their homes (setting some on fire) and beat African Americans. Some African Americans retaliated by attacking and burning Irish houses. | Lofton. "Northern Labor," J. of N. His. 34 (1949) 257 | |||||||||||
| 1862 | Illinois | Chicago | July: Omnibus riot. A bus driver refused to let a black person ride the bus. Mob threatens to attack African Americans. | Voegili.Free but…, p.34 | |||||||||||
| 1862 | Ohio | Cincinnati | July: Irish dock workers angered by black workers working for less, rioted for two days, including attacks on black homes. | Ross.Workers, p.195 | |||||||||||
| 1862 | Indiana | Shelbyville | July: Crowds had milled about town all day. In the evening hecklers called out to a soldier that "he would not go and fight to free n*****s" a general fight broke out. | "Turbulent Times," p.87 | |||||||||||
| 1862 | Illinois | Oquawka, Illinois | July: Crowd attacks man believed to have Southern sympathies and give him 29 lashes, forcing him to take a loyalty oath. | Nolan.Vigilantes, p.105 | |||||||||||
| 1862 | Pennsylvania | Cass, Schuykill, PA | August: Miners stopped a Harrisburg - bound train loaded with recruits and draftees, releasing those who did not want to go to war. Later, a court upheld the release by saying the township had met its quota. | Aurand.From MM, p.97 | |||||||||||
| 1862 | New York | Brooklyn | August: White workers attack black employees at a tobacco factory and attempt to burn the building. Black people were women and children. | Lofton. "Northern Labor," J. of N. His. 34 (1949) 261; NY Tribune, August 6, 1862 | |||||||||||
| 1862 | Ohio | Cincinnati | August: Irish dock workers attack black dock workers. | Lofton. "Northern Labor," J. of N. His. 34 (1949) 260-261 | |||||||||||
| 1862 | Pennsylvania | Philadelphia | August: Crowd of men and women attacked deputy marshals who were making the enrollment of citizens liable to the draft. The marshals arrested one man and soldiers dispatched to guard the streets. | Scharf and Wescott, p.301 | |||||||||||
| 1862 | Pennsylvania | Mauch Chunk, PA | September: 25 women stoned two enrolling officers working for the draft. Four women were arrested and jailed without bail. | Palladino.Another Civil War, p.99 | |||||||||||
| 1862 | Pennsylvania | Archibald, PA | September: Irish women drive off enrolling officer and two US cavalry men guard from "Shanty Town." The Irish women attacked a German shoestore and beat people there. When the officer later entered the coal mining offices, men joined the attack, and broke into the office. More stones, etc. thrown but again enroller escaped. From 150-500 rioters involved. | Palladino.Another Civil War, p.100-101 | |||||||||||
| 1862 | Pennsylvania | Philadelphia | September: Quarrel among troops enrouter for Washington eruped on Washington avenue. Approximately 20 soldiers wounded. Provost marshall made some arrests and restored order. | Scharf and Wescott, p.803 | |||||||||||
| 1862 | Indiana | Blackford County, Indiana | October: Draft riot causes deploy of draft for three days. | Gray.Hidden Civil War, p.111 | |||||||||||
| 1862 | Pennsylvania | Cass, PA | October: Women hurling stones impeded draft enrollers. Women probably Irish. | Palladin.Another Civil War, p.101 | PTH Edits | ||||||||||
| 1862 | Ohio | Cleveland, Ohio | October: Mob broke box containing names of individuals to be drafted. | Gray.Hidden Civil War, p.111 | |||||||||||
| 1862 | Indiana | Indianapolis, Indiana | October: After Democrat John R. Elder challegned the votes of soldiers whose names were not on the poll lists about 20 soldiers attacked him with fists and clubs, forcing him to flee. | Klement.Copperheads, p.164 | John R. Elder | ||||||||||
| 1862 | Pennsylvania | Northeastern PA | October: Miners and others opposed to conscription stopped a train on the way to Harrisburg loaded with draftees. They offered protection to anyone who left. | Palladino.Another Civil War, p.4, 102 | |||||||||||
| 1862 | Colorado | Central City | October: The "Central City boys" tarred and feathered Dr. A. Phinney, a storekeeper. Phinney had abandoned his wife and daughter and was living with a "mercenary woman." After being "fully rigged in his new suit," Phinney was banished. A subsequent meeting and vote bequethed all of his property to his wife. Phinney had previoslu lived in De Soto and Fort Calhoun Nebraska, and Council Bluffs Iowa. | The Rocky Mountain News, October 30, 1862 | A. Phinney | PTH | |||||||||
| 1862 | Oregon | Auburn, OR | November: Tom "The Spaniard" hanged for alleged murder. | Bancroft, Popular Tribunals as listed in Carrigan and Webb, Forgotten Dead. | Tom the Spaniard | PTH | |||||||||
| 1862 | Wisconsin | Kewaunee County, Wisconsin | November: Mob drove draft commissioner temporarily away. | Gray.Hidden Civil War, p.110 | |||||||||||
| 1862 | Wisconsin | Port Washington, Wisconsin | November: Draft rioters, mostly foreign-born, storm the courthouse, destroyed enrollment records and drove the commissioner away. The rioters beat the county judge, the DA and registrar of deeds. The crowd vandalized several homes and wrecked a local factory. 600 troops sent to the area and 50 arrests made. | Gray.Hidden Civil War, p.111 | |||||||||||
| 1862 | Wisconsin | West Bend, Washington County, Wisconsin | November: Mob stones houses of prominent citizens and abolitionists in opposition to the draft. 300 troops sent to area. | Coakeley.Role, p.234 | |||||||||||
| 1862 | Alabama | Randolph County, Alabama | December: Armed force took keys away from jailor and let free captured deserters. | Tatum.Disloyalty, p.58 | |||||||||||
| 1862 | Indiana | Indiana | December: Mob surrounds house of a farmer who had hired a "contraband" - a newly freed black man from the South. They captured the free black man and ordered him out of the community. | Klement.Copperheads, p.16 | |||||||||||
| 1862 | Pennsylvania | Forestville, PA | December: 200 Molly Maguires attack collieries of William Goyne, stopping production and beat at least 15 men. They also closed the colliery store. | Deevees.MM, p.51-52 | William Goyne | ||||||||||
| 1862 | Texas | Industry, TX | December: Confederate draft resisted. Draft resisters drove recruiting captain away and beat a friend of his with sticks and iron bars. | Tatum.Disloyalty, p.46-47 | |||||||||||
| 1863 | Colorado | Gold Run/Blue River | Unknown victim lynched. | Leonard, Lynching in Colorado, Table A.1 | PTH | ||||||||||
| 1863 | Colorado | Trinidad, CO | A man named Baxter killed for possibly alleged theft. | Leonard, Lynching in Colorado, Table A.1 | Baxter | PTH | |||||||||
| 1863 | Washington | Steilacoom, Pierce Co., WA | January: J.M. Bates hanged for alleged murder. | Tacoma Weekly Ledger, Feb. 17, 1863 as listed in Pfeifer, The Roots of Rough Justice. | J.M. Bates | PTH | |||||||||
| 1863 | North Carolina | Madison Co., NC | January: About a dozen men loyal to the Confederacy attack two dozen men resisting the drafts. In the gun battle that followed 4 died, 2 one each side. | Tatum.Disloyalty, p.115 | |||||||||||
| 1863 | Michigan | Detroit | March: Trial of black man, Wm. Faulkner, for allegedly molesting a white and black girl elicits a great deal of attention. At one point during trial, when court visited the scene of the alleged crime, crowd hurled stoned at Faulkner. After he was convicted (he was innocent) on the 6th, Provost Marshall's men used to guard him on way to jail. Guards fired on threatening crowd, killing one man. Angered, whites later attacked black neighborhood, burning houses, assaulting blacks of both sexes. Concerns over draft also in (??). | Schneider. "Detroit…,"Michigan History58 (1974) p.4-24 | William Faulkner | ||||||||||
| 1863 | Ohio | Dayton, Ohio | May: Democratic supporters of Clement C. Vallandigham outraged by his arrest by the Army gathered outside pro-Democrat newspaprt office - Empire. About 200 strong they threw stones and fired pistols at window. They also hurled fired "turpentine balls." These caught on and destroyed the Journal building and half a block more. Rioters prevented firefighters from doing their duty. Soldiers arrived. One rioter killed while cutting firehose. Mob dispersed. | Klement.Copperheads, p.92 | |||||||||||
| 1863 | Colorado | Oil Spring | May: Vigilantes from California Gulch tracked alleged murderers for twelve days. The alleged murderers were two Mexican men. The vigilantes killed one, and one escaped. The vigilantes, going through possessions left behind, found a book. An attempt to translate the Spanish led the Anglos to believe that the Mexican men were out to exterminate as many Americans as possible. The Anglos believed the Mexican men to be the Espinosa brothers | The Weekly Commonwealth, May 21, 1863 | Espinosa | PTH | |||||||||
| 1863 | New York | Newburgh, NY | June: Mob lynches black person for assaulting an Irish-American woman. | Anbinder, p.312 | |||||||||||
| 1863 | Indiana | Rush Co., Indiana | June: About 12 men ambushed enrolling officers for draft and killed a US marshall. | Coakley.Role, p.240 | |||||||||||