Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1913-07-16
SALISBURY'S FIRST LYncnIse,
Rutf|ans From Concord. Charlotte and Ire
dell Hang a Negro who had Been Acquitted

Unfortunately the editor of TIL
WATcHMAN has only few cople
the paper prior to 1904. The fileI
were in other hands and hav,
been very indifferently cared for
but with a few scattering copiel
picked up here and there, also
copies of the Salisbury Banner
we get occasional glimpses of the
long ago, much of which is quite
interesting. Here is the sto.
~ of the lynohing of Os.
car Ford which took place on
Monday, June Srd, 1861. This
report appeared in the Salisbury
Banner of Tuesday, June 4th, the
day following the lynching. The
tree to which Ford wss hanged
stood about two blocks, more or
less, beyond the North Main
Street railroad crossing. and was
not cut down until recently.
"rhe usual. quiet of our town,
much to the regret of all good,
aw-abidiug citizens, WAS disturb.
ed yesterday by the predominancf
of a mob, which regardless OF
counsel, judge and jury violently
entered the jail, breaking lock.
and doors as they proceeded, and
forcibly took out negro whom
they executed.
The Negro, Oscar Ford, was the
same that was tried here at the
spring term of the superior court,
last year, and convicted of an at.
tempt to commit a rape on tho
person of Mrs. Bryant, of Con.
cord. His counsels. however, pro-
cured for him new trial, which
came off at the present term of
the superior court. He was acquit.
ted, though entirely unexpected
and greatly against the general
feeling. as to his guilt, of the
community. As soon as the de.
cision of the jury was made nown,
a crowd began to assemble at the
court house. armed with clubs
of their determination to carry
into execution previous threats.
The greater number of which, we
are informed had come from the
towns of Concord and Charloste.
and the county of Iredell, for the
purpose of mobbing the negro in
case he was acquitted. No resist
ance was shown them until they
became too formidable to be con-
trolled by the town authorities
After they had increased to about
fifty or sixty in number, they pro.
ceeded as above stated, took the
negro to the outskirts of town,
hanged him up, fired several shots
into his body, and lefs him dead.
Without any reflection upon the
intelligent jury or the able coun-
sol for the defence, having heard
the principal testimony in both
trials, We have no hesitancy in
expressing our belief that the ne
gro was guilty, and justly merited
the punishment he received for so
high a crime, even though it was
administered at the hands of .
mob. Yet, IN Gods name, for
the sake of society, religion and
social order, for the sake of hu'
manity, civilization, and domestic
peace, deliver us from the pre-
dominance of mob law. There is
nothing to he conceived that
would so soon plunge us into a
state of the most woeful anarchy
and utter insecurity, or prove q
greater curse to our every interest,
than the federation of such a
thing. 1t would be q stain and
stigma upon the fair name of our
country-inimical as we'll as de-
structive of the superabundant
liberty We so much love and en-
10y; and all good and true oiti'
zens, upon due reflection, cannot
fail to agree with US and see itf
evil import. Overthrow our legal
authorities. which are amply suf'
ficient for the protection of all
then our shield is gone, our free
dom is farce, and we are but ont
step from barbarism. If such {
thing is tolerated no mans life il
safe; but any of us is liable, a
any time, to be compelled to sue
cumb to mob violence, led on BY
the worst passions of men. More
over, death committed by mol
law ia clearly murder in the ey'