Belfield McCray

Belfield McCray was held at the Carroll County jail in Carrollton, Mississippi, when a mob of several hundred white men took him from the jail on the afternoon of August 1, 1901. Newspaper accounts say the mob led him, along with his mother and sister, to the edge of town, hanged him from a tree by the roadside and shot the bodies. Judge W. F. Stephens and W. S. Hill pleaded with the crowd on the jail steps and at the cell door to let the law take its course, but their appeals failed. Accounts differ on the jailer, Duke: one says the mob obtained the keys from him, while another says he was overpowered when he resisted the demand for the keys.

Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A mob of several hundred white men took Belfield McCray from the Carrollton, Mississippi jail, hanged him from a tree and shot his body, and Governor Longino condemned the officers in the strongest terms.

Reported by: Governor Longino of Mississippi; Pascagoula Democrat-Star (reporters).

News reports (11)

• The Age-Herald, August 2, 1901, page 1 The Age-Herald, August 2, 1901
• The Houston Daily Post, August 2, 1901, page 3 The Houston Daily Post, August 2, 1901
• Daily Public Ledger, August 2, 1901, page 3 Daily Public Ledger, August 2, 1901
• The Leader, August 7, 1901, page 2 The Leader, August 7, 1901
• The Big Stone Gap Post, August 8, 1901, page 1 The Big Stone Gap Post, August 8, 1901
• The Caucasian, August 8, 1901, page 1 The Caucasian, August 8, 1901
• The Pascagoula Democrat-Star, August 9, 1901, page 2 The Pascagoula Democrat-Star, August 9, 1901
• Newport Weekly Independent, August 9, 1901, page 2 Newport Weekly Independent, August 9, 1901
• Highland Recorder, August 9, 1901, page 1 Highland Recorder, August 9, 1901
• The Grenada Sentinel, August 10, 1901, page 8 The Grenada Sentinel, August 10, 1901
• The Conway Log Cabin, August 13, 1901, page 4 The Conway Log Cabin, August 13, 1901