Lynch-law; an investigation into the history of lynching in the United StatesCutler, James Elbert
Philosophy
Lynch-law; an investigation into the history of lynching in the United States
Cutler, James Elbert
Lynching -- United States
A comparison of Charts X and XI shows how greatly the lynching of
Negroes in the South predominates over the lynching of Whites and
Others. Against 600 Whites and Others lynched during the twenty-two
years, 1,985 Negroes were lynched. With regard to the causes assigned
for the lynchings a wide variation is observed. Only 38 per cent of the
Negroes, against 53.5 per cent of the Whites and Others, were lynched
for Murder. Rape stands next to Murder in order of importance in both
cases, but while 34 per cent of the Negroes were lynched for Rape, only
11.5 per cent of the Whites and Others were lynched for that cause.
Minor Offenses, Arson, Theft, and Assault appear as of much more
importance as causes for the lynching of Negroes than for the lynching
of Whites and Others.
Those who assume that the majority of the negroes lynched in the South
are lynched for the crime of rape against white women, and that the
lynching of negroes is therefore justifiable, will find very little
satisfaction in an examination of Chart XI. In the classification of the
cases the writer has put every case where both rape and murder were
assigned as the cause, under Rape. It is possible that if a careful
investigation were made of all the cases credited to Murder, it might be
found that the motive in some cases was rape but that the actual crime
committed was murder, and that it was for rape as well as for murder
that the negroes in such cases were lynched. The lynchers may have
considered themselves the avengers of the crime of rape as well as of
the crime of murder. The statistics, however, cannot be made to show
that more than thirty-four per cent of the negroes lynched in the South
during the last twenty-two years have been lynched for the crime of
rape, either attempted, alleged, or actually committed; and it is safe
to say that if rape were connected with the offense in any case, that
fact would ordinarily be stated in the report.
Chart XII shows the proportion lynched for various causes in the Western
Group of States, 1882–1903. This chart covers the total number of
persons lynched in that section of the country during the twenty-two
years, no distinction being made either as to race or nationality. The
numbers lynched for the various causes are as follows: Murder 279, Theft
199, Desperadism 64, Rape 34, Arson 12, Minor Offenses 9, Assault 4,
Unknown 31. The total number lynched for all causes is 632. The
percentages lynched for the various causes are as follows: Murder 44.1
per cent, Theft 31.5 per cent, Desperadism 10.1 per cent, Rape 5.4 per
cent, Arson 1.9 per cent, Minor Offenses 1.4 per cent, Assault .6 per
cent, Unknown 4.9 per cent. Lynchings for Theft and Desperadism are
particularly characteristic of the Western States. Of the 199 lynched
for Theft, 189 or 95 per cent were lynched for stealing live stock.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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