The Red Record: Tabulated Statistics and Alleged Causes of Lynching in the United States

Chapter 9 offers another comprehensive record of lynchings in the American South. This data is provided by a January 1895 edition of the Chicago Tribune. Wells points out several key pieces of data that relate to cases she detailed earlier in the work, including the six Black men who were killed at night for suspected arson. Another case in Georgia details the murder of seven Black men who either refused or did not know the location of a suspected criminal named Pike.

Accusations of murder and rape constitute the largest number of lynchings. Other crimes include specifically worded categories: unknown offenses, enticing servant away, train wrecking, no offense, race prejudice, introducing smallpox, writing a letter to a white woman, giving information, political causes, conjuring, and asking a white woman to marry him. Georgia recorded the highest number of lynchings at 19, with Mississippi and Louisiana close behind at 15 each. Other states with recorded lynchings include Arkansas, Virginia, Tennessee, Alabama, Kentucky, Texas, South Carolina, Florida, Missouri, Ohio, Maryland, West Virginia, Indiana, Kansas, and Pennsylvania.

The record also included three cases of women who were lynched. Two of these women’s identities were unknown. One lynching was for “race prejudice,” and the other two were for unknown offenses.