Lynching rampage in South Georgia Made by Bj Smallwood Olivia Cone Emi Pallotti Sarah Thompson

Lynching's  There were so many lynching's in 1880 and 1930 that sociologists have called this period the lynching era.  Literally thousands of men, women, and children were murdered at the hands of mobs.  The NAACP reported 3,224 lynching's between 1889 and 1918, while the Tuskegee institute counted 4,587 for the years

Lynching's  The first of the mobs victims was Will Head, one of the employees who had helped plan the killing.  Head was captured early Friday morning, May 17, near Barney.  Reports suggested that the mob wanted to capture all those involved in the plot, take them to the scene of the crime, and lynch them all together.

Lynching's  Hangings were often preceded by beatings, shootings, burnings, and sadistic torture that included dismemberment and mutilation.  The causes of lynching in the South are just as difficult to pin-point as the exact number of victims.  The mobs eighth and ninth victims, lynched on Sunday of May 19, Two were killed in the most sensational, brutal, and barbaric manner in this south Georgia tragedy.

Georgia  The lynching of women was common in Georgia.  Ten women were lynched in Georgia between 1880 and 1930-but this episode stands out as being particularly gruesome.  It is also an indication that the mob would spare no person in exacting its revenge, even if it meant killing an unborn child.

Women Weren't Safe  The mob tied Mary Turner’s ankles together hung her to a tree head down, and automobile gas was poured on her. Mary’s clothes were burnt off her body then a mob member cut open her stomach where her unborn child fell.

Final Kill  The final confirmed victim of the mob violence, the thirteenth to die, was the man who actually shot Hampton Smith, Sidney Johnson.  On the evening of May 22, Valdosta police officers, led by Chief Dampier, went to the house, located at south troupe and south streets to arrest the suspect.

Brooks County  There were more lynching's in Brooks County than in other county in Georgia.  Fitzhugh Brundadge has suggested that the county was the most mob prone county in the entire south.

Brooks County Lynching

Street Battle  In the evening of May 22, Valdosta police officers, led by Chief Dampier, went to the house, located at South Troupe and South Streets, to arrest the suspect.  Johnson opened fire when the officers entered the house and a gun battle ensued.  Chief Dampier was wounded, as was Patrolman Dampier and Dixon Smith.

The Mobs Stop  Sidney Johnson was the last confirmed victim of the mobs rampage through Brooks and Lowndes counties.  This lynching spree confirms Brooks County’s place as the most mob-prone county in Georgia.

No Repercussions  There were no legal repercussions for the mob, and no one was ever held accountable for their actions.  The foreman of the Brooks County grand jury in May 1918 was William A. Whipple, one of the leaders of the mob.  This ensured that no charges would be brought against anyone involved.

The Ruthless Mob  The Brooks County mob carried out swift summary justice waiting to hear from the man who shot and killed Hampton smith.  Brooks County was the most mob prone and lynched prone county.