The Red Record: Tabulated Statistics and Alleged Causes of Lynching in the United StatesWells-Barnett, Ida B.
History
The Red Record: Tabulated Statistics and Alleged Causes of Lynching in the United States
Wells-Barnett, Ida B.
African Americans -- History -- 1877-1964; Lynching -- United States; Lynching -- United States -- Statistics
An instance occurred during the year 1892 in Arkansas, a report of which
is given in full in the _Arkansas Democrat_, published at Little Rock, in
that state, on the eleventh day of February of that year. The paper
mentioned is perhaps one of the leading weeklies in that state and the
account given in detail has every mark of a careful and conscientious
investigation. The victims of this tragedy were a colored man, named Hamp
Biscoe, his wife and a thirteen-year-old son. Hamp Biscoe, it appears, was
a hard working, thrifty farmer, who lived near England, Arkansas, upon a
small farm with his family. The investigation of the tragedy was
conducted by a resident of Arkansas named R.B. Caries, a white man, who
furnished the account to the _Arkansas Democrat_ over his own signature.
He says the original trouble which led to the lynching was a quarrel
between Biscoe and a white man about a debt. About six years after Biscoe
preempted his land, a white man made a demand of $100 upon him for
services in showing him the land and making the sale. Biscoe denied the
service and refused to pay the demand. The white man, however, brought
suit, obtained judgment for the hundred dollars and Biscoe's farm was sold
to pay the judgment.
The suit, judgment and subsequent legal proceedings appear to have driven
Biscoe almost crazy and brooding over his wrongs he grew to be a confirmed
imbecile. He would allow but few men, white or colored, to come upon his
place, as he suspected every stranger to be planning to steal his farm. A
week preceding the tragedy, a white man named Venable, whose farm adjoined
Biscoe's, let down the fence and proceeded to drive through Biscoe's
field. The latter saw him; grew very excited, cursed him and drove him
from his farm with bitter oaths and violent threats. Venable went away and
secured a warrant for Biscoe's arrest. This warrant was placed in the
hands of a constable named John Ford, who took a colored deputy and two
white men out to Biscoe's farm to make the arrest. When they arrived at
the house Biscoe refused to be arrested and warned them he would shoot if
they persisted in their attempt to arrest him. The warning was unheeded by
Ford, who entered upon the premises, when Biscoe, true to his word, fired
upon him. The load tore a part of his clothes from his body, one shot
going through his arm and entering his breast. After he had fallen, Ford
drew his revolver and shot Biscoe in the head and his wife through the
arm. The Negro deputy then began firing and struck Biscoe in the small of
the back. Ford's wound was not dangerous and in a few days he was able to
be around again. Biscoe, however, was so severely shot that he was unable
to stand after the firing was over.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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