The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1922-06-02
Bloody May Marks Fight
Over AnH-Ly,aching Bill
Twelve Negroes Killed by
Mobs During MONTH
Eleven Slain in Texas.
BY EDWARD NJ. THIERRY :
WASHINGTON, June 2-Lynch

BY EDWARD NJ. THIERK9
WASHINGTON, June 2-Lynch
law made May the b1oodiest
month on record.
Twelve negroes were killed by
5,mobs. They were hanged, beaten
s to death or burned at the sSak e.
Five were tortured to death IN
A.dames and the bodies OF two
;yothers were burned later.
IA Eleven of the twelve 1ynchlngs
ESoccurred in Texas, and one III
s&Georgia. Texas stands third on the
Hist with Georgia first and M1ssls-
sippi5 second. in the total lynchings
@ssi IN the United States since 1852:
Significance is attached to the
s unusual outbreak because of the
spending deadlock in the senate
over the Dyer Anti-Lyncnlng Bill
The bill, introduced by Congress
man L. C. Dyer of St Louis was
passed by the House, but senate
subcommittee, of which Senator
aBorah is chairman, has declared
IEthe measure absolutely unconstl-
stutional."
49, James Weldon Johnson, secre-
iS$tary of the National Association
flor the Advancement of Coloreo
People. which is supporting the
issbiIl, says that up until May there
were only half as many lynchinss
as in the corresponding TOUR
months of last year.
s5s During the past 80 years there
have been more than S,4o0 lynch-
sEings: there were 81 in 1918, So
in 1919, 65 in 1920 and ca IN
1881.
Record of Bloody May
Here is the record of Bloody
May. as compiled by the American
Civil Liberties Union:
May 6-A mob of 500 persons
took SNAP" Curry, J. II. Varney
- and Nose Jones, negroes, from the
county Jail at F'reestone Ga. and
Il burned them at the stake. CurHy
lis said to have confessed the as
n sault and murder of Eula Awsley,
Ri a white girl, and implicated two
other negroes.
May S-The bodies of Frederick
8$Green and Tom Cornish, negroes,
Implicated by Curry in the Awsley
murder, were found hanging from
s M May 16-The body of negro
g named Early was found swinging
from a tree near Plantersville Tex
early. charged with attacking
SBhite woman, had escaped from
777jail# at Anderson.
May 18-Charles Atkins. To-
syear-old negro, was tortured over
81 a. slow fire and burned to death
near Davidsboro, Ga, after admit
ting robbing and numbering Mrs:
Elizabeth Kitchens, rural mail
scarrier.
the door Of the Miller County
fArk3 Jail, dragged Hullen
Owens, negro, through the streets
Of Te1aFkana Tex, until he was
dead land burned his body; Owens
had fatally wounded r. G. Choate
81 VII o prevented his escape when he
as charged with theft
~ May 20-Joe Winters, negro.
charged with attacking white
al girl, was burned at the stake in
SRss;f he courthouse yard at Conroe,
~ ay "a mob of 500 persons
took Nose Boxer, negro, from the
custody of officers and hanged him
near A1leytown, Tex. Boxer was
ssaccused OF assaulting a white wo-
MAY 2S-Gilbert Wilson, negro.
garged with stealing cattle, was
ybeaten& to death by a mob at Bryan
q Nav 26-Jessie Thomas, ident1-
}hed by Mrs. Margaret Hayes as
gSthe man who killed Harold Bolton,
NJ her escort, ana aLtaChSu 4iel ueef
s3S waco. Tex, May Is, was killed by
a Mrs. Hayes father; mob then
carried the body to the public
* SQUARE and burned it.
/. Attempted Lynching
In addition an attempted lynch
ing occurred in Georgia, May rs,
when Jim benson, negro, sentenc-
ed to hang June 16 for attacking
IA an aged white woman three years
ago, was taken from the Wilkin-
SON County jail. The prisoner
b aa8aped from the mob and was
later captured by a deputy sheriff.
The Dyer Anti-Lynching Bill,
which is troubling many. senators
who face contests at, the next
election, provides a penalty of
81 from FIVE years to life for any
HI member of mob that puts to
death any guilty or innocent per-
Il son. It also provides for five years
in prison or $4,000 fne5 or both,
for any state OF municipal officer
who neglects to protect a prisoner
from mob violence; and forfeit
of $4,000 by any county in which
ri q person is lynched, the money to
be given to the victims family or
or in lieu of them paid
Unto the United States Treasury.
's,'ssSs1siARpWooD MEN TO MEET
MEMPHIS, Tenn. June "A
an organization meeting Of