Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-11-09
MOST OF [YNCH|NGS
AREFOUND IN SOUTH
Commission Reports Decline
in Mob Hangings and Finds
Two Victims innocent.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
ATLANTA, Ga, November Con
illusions that 2 cf the 81 nersons
lynched in 1880 certainly" were In
nocent and IL others possibly SO" were
advanced today by the Southern Com
mission on the Study of Lynching
along with criticism of hasty trials
and legal lynchings"
The commission listed as findings OF
a years survey that:
l.. There is real doubt Of guilt Of at
least half the victims CT mob violence.
2. Fewer than one-fourth of the per-
sons lynched since 1890 have been &C
cused OF assaults upon white women.
Linked to Education Lack.
8. Claims that lynchings are neces-
sary because courts do not convict col
cred persons for their crimes are falla-
cious.
4. Mob leaders can be identified with
out difficulty, although grand jury In
dictments seldom are brought.
5. Lynching is most frequent per tens
OF thousands Of colored population in
sparSely settled areas.
6. There is direct relationship be-
tween lack of education, low economic
status and lynching danger.
G. r. Milton Heads Study.
The report was made public by the
commissions chairman, George Fort
Milton, president and editor of the
Chattanooga, Tenn, News. Associated
with him in the study were the follow
ing:
Julian Harris, news director Of the
Atlanta Constitution; DR.. John Hope,
president of Atlanta University (for
colored); DR.. Benjamin F. Hubert, pres
ident of Georgia State College; DR..
Charles S. johnson, department Of So
cial science, Fisk University; DR.. w. p.
King. book editor of the Methodist
Episcopal Church South: DR.. w. j. Nc
Glothlin, president of Furman Univer-
sity and Of the Southern Baptist Con-
vention: DR.. r. r. Motion, principal OF
TuSkegee Institute for colored. and
DR.. Howard w. Odum, University of
North Carolina.
Georgia Leads In Lynchings.
Georgia led in contributing to the
3 1893 lynehings since 1889 with 465.
had AGA, Texas 364 and Lou
isiana $40. On the basis of percentage
Of colored populations, lynchings were
IEOSL numerous IN FlOTlQa, WIN Okla-
hcma, Arkansas and Texas following in
order.
The commission concluded that lynch
ing. while decreasing during the last
three decades, was becoming more ex-
a Southern phenomenon, with
81 per cent of the country'S lynchings
occurring in the South in recent years,
as against 81 per cent in earlier decades
The commission found 448 attempts at
lynching were prevented by prompt &C
ton by officers and citizens in the 10
years ending with 1929.
Mob Hangings Decrease.
Illustrations of what it termed legal
lynchings" were cited by the commits
sion, together with instances of hasty
trials and "foredoomed convictions"
under mob pressure. In some cases, the
report said, officials actually bargained
with mobs and had bought off" the
leaders with promises of speedy convic-
ton and execution.
The commission pointed out certain
encouraging high lights against this
dark picture. however. One was that
lynchings decreased from the high tide
of 255 in 1892 to the low Of 10 In 1929
and an average OF II for each of the
last six years. Another was that re-
ligious bodies, newspapers, influential
groups and individuals were uniting in
condemnation of lynching.