Dibrell Rucker
Dibrell Rucker, a 30-year-old Black man, was held in the custody of the sheriff in Houston, Mississippi, on February 8, 1913. According to the Montgomery Advertiser, the sheriff had hidden him in a dwelling, but a mob took him from the officers and led him to the courthouse yard, where he was chained to a steel pump, set on fire and shot by a member of the crowd. The sheriff and deputies, who had been placed under guard, were said to have watched through a window and could not stop it. The Richmond Virginian reports that the sheriff was locked in a cell and could not stop the mob, which tied Rucker to an iron post, poured hot tar over him, set him on fire, and that his father fired shots into his body. The Richmond Virginian also reports that the governor ordered an investigation and that arrests would follow.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A mob took Dibrell Rucker from the Houston, Mississippi jail, where the sheriff was locked in a cell and could not stop them, then tied him to an iron post, tarred and burned him, and his father fired shots into his body.
Reported by: Richmond Virginian (reporters).