Divil Rucker

Divil Rucker, a Black man, was held in the custody of the sheriff at Houston, Mississippi, who had hidden him in a dwelling, according to press accounts. On February 8, 1913, a mob took him from the sheriff and deputies, who had been placed under guard, and led him to the courthouse yard. The Lancaster News reports that he was chained to a steel pump there, set on fire, and shot four times by a member of the crowd, and that the sheriff and deputies could not stop it. The district attorney appealed to the crowd to stop, but the reports say it went ahead. One account says the governor ordered an investigation and that arrests would be made.

Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A mob took Divil Rucker from the sheriff and deputies in Houston, Mississippi, chained him to a steel pump in the courthouse yard, burned him and shot him, while the officers, placed under guard, could not stop it.

Reported by: Richmond Virginian (reporters); The Bamberg Herald (reporters); Governor Brewer of Mississippi.

Sources (6)

• The Montgomery Advertiser, February 9, 1913, page 14 The Montgomery Advertiser, February 9, 1913
• The Times Dispatch, February 9, 1913, page 5 The Times Dispatch, February 9, 1913
• The Richmond Virginian, February 9, 1913, page 1 The Richmond Virginian, February 9, 1913
• The Lancaster News, February 12, 1913, page 6 The Lancaster News, February 12, 1913
• Fort Mill Times, February 13, 1913, page 1 Fort Mill Times, February 13, 1913
• The Bamberg Herald, February 13, 1913, page 5 The Bamberg Herald, February 13, 1913