Nelson
David T. Nelson, a Black man, was held in the small jail at Varner, Arkansas, in November 1893. According to press dispatches reprinted in several newspapers, a mob broke open the jail on the night of November 10 or 13, took him to a tree, hanged him, shot his body and set it on fire. Rain put out the flames, and his body was found in the jail yard the next morning. Officials were said to be trying to learn who was in the mob, and four men later pleaded guilty to lynching him in Lincoln County circuit court.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A mob of Black men broke into the Varner jail, took Nelson out, hanged and shot him and tried to burn his body, according to a dispatch reprinted in a 1894 newspaper.
Reported by: Pine Bluff dispatch reprinted in a 1894 newspaper (reporters); Lincoln County circuit court (court).
Sources (10)
- Morning Journal And Courier, November 15, 1893, page 3
- The Weekly Register, November 15, 1893, page 2
- Burlington Weekly Free Press, November 16, 1893, page 1
- The Forrest City Times, November 24, 1893, page 4
- Fisherman & Farmer, November 24, 1893, page 1
- The Abbeville Press And Banner, November 29, 1893, page 6
- The Evening Bulletin, February 23, 1894, page 1
- The Houston Daily Post, February 24, 1894, page 4
- The Forrest City Times, March 2, 1894, page 5
- The Guthrie Daily Leader, April 3, 1894, page 1