Reported Lynchings in Ouachita Parish

I have posted before, listing reports of lynchings that have been found in Ouachita Parish newspapers. I can see the stats that show what articles are looked at and at least once a week or more, someone is looking at that list. That got me curious as to how many known lynchings there are in just Ouachita Parish. I did some snooping. It was surprisingly hard.

First off, I couldn’t find a hard list of names. Most sites only state the number for each parish. Ouachita was among the bloodiest, at 38 persons. When some names were given, upon inspection, it sounded like it was a plain one on one murder, or they happened in another parish. Some of the ones I have compiled in the chart below, I am still unsure of. For instance, Laura Porter was taken out of jail and was never seen again. The rumors are that she was thrown in the Ouachita River. Sometimes women were just run out of town and told never to return upon pain of death. That happened in Morehouse parish that I know of. It may have happened to Laura, but we will never know. I still added her. I think the rumors were true.

I found one report of a lynching in 1860 or so reported in national papers, yet the local Ouachita Register stated they wanted to lynch him but cooler heads prevailed and he was given a trial, found guilty and legally hung. Who do you believe?

This list is by NO means complete. I found 39 individuals. I wanted all of them, not just those reported between certain years. I used newspapers, government investigation documents and the abstracts of coroner’s reports to compile it. You will see that 1876 was by far the bloodiest year. It was said that bodies were seen floating down the Ouachita, but were probably never documented. It is said that Eaton Logwood died of his wounds several months later. He was wounded the same time as his friend Rev. Primus Johnson was killed holding his child. Logwood should probably be on this list too. Four more men could be added to this list I suspect were lynched in October 1878: Daniel (or Saul) Hill, Herman Bell, Sam Wallace and Joshua Hall. All were shot, rumored to be by White Leaguers.

The youngest was a little girl, only 11 months old. We don’t even know her first name. She was killed in her mother’s arms and her father tortured and killed. Her mother Eliza Pinkston barely escaped with her life and is probably the most nationally known of the victims of 1876. Surprisingly, there are three white men on this list. Their names are in italics. Murder and arson were their alleged crimes. The area on and around the courthouse square is soaked in blood. At least 13 men were lynched to trees there or across the street where Anna Grey Noe park is now. For more information, you can find newspaper articles on Newspapers.com with your library card through our webpage here: https://www.oplib.org/history-databases . As more are found, this list will be updated below.

June 30, 2023 NOTE: Another mention of a lynching was of an African American man for “…attempting to outrage a white woman…” . No name or place it happened was given. (see the Ouachita Telegraph, June 6, 1879, Page 2, Column 3). This now brings the total to 40. May 2, 2025 ADDENDUM: This is Aaron Dobbins, whose Coroner’s report was found in the Ouachita Parish Clerk of Court. He was shot in the stomach with a shotgun at his home on Oak Street. This is probably a one-on-one murder, since newspaper articles in the Telegraph state there was nothing to prove he was a rapist.

September 21, 2023 ADDENDUM: A Republican official, bringing Republican ballots to northeast Louisiana, was shot and possibly stabbed in the courthouse. His body was taken to the river and dumped (it was rumored). His name was William Adams and the date was April 22, 1888. No race was mentioned, so he was most likely white. They did not mention race in articles unless the person was not white. There was NO mention in Monroe papers at the time. National papers stated locals were afraid of retaliation if it was reported outside the parish. Adams had previously been accused of the murders of Crawford and Harris but was acquitted. This brings the lynching total to 41. March 15, 2024 ADDENDUM: See the November 24, 1922 News-Star, Page 3, “Old-Timers Talk of Conditions “As Was” In Old Monroe Days”: “Bill Adams, a fire brand, was taken out on the court house square on a dark night, knocked down, and had his throat cut from ear to ear. His body was bundled into a cart, and trundled down to a bayou, weighted down with plow shares, and thrown in.“

October 27, 2023 ADDENDUM: February 19, 1890, a Mr. Williams, “living on a plantation of J.C. Steele & Co.” was lynched after shooting a Mr. Plummer, the manager of the farm. Plummer had stopped Williams as he was beating his wife. When Plummer turned to leave, Williams shot him in the head and then shot him again. A bystander stopped the man from going any further. Williams was subsequently lynched. This makes the lynching total of 42.

ADDENDUM April 2, 2024: This person may be number 43: The Times-Democrat (New Orleans, LA) May 20, 1892, Page 2 SHOT TO DEATH BY A NEGRO. Special to The Times-Democrat. Monroe, May 19. – Mr. Chambers Brigham, a young man about twenty-four years of age, was shot and killed last night by a negro living on Mr. Geo. Phillips’ plantation, about twelve miles from this city. [Sterlington area] It is rumored here to-day that the negro was hung this morning by a mob. The particulars cannot be ascertained. Brigham is a native of Morehouse parish, and was employed by Phillips as clerk in his store. Other national papers claim the man shot Brigham from ambush, walked to the home of George Phillips and told him what he had done. He then asked to be hung. Phillips did so. He had lived on the plantation for years and it was thought the man was insane.

ADDENDUM: July 26, 2024: While going through the Louisiana Freedmen’s Bureau Records for Monroe on Familysearch, I found a list of those who received aid because of hardship. It was an early benefits program. The person’s name, age, etc. were noted and a reason for the hardship was listed. Usually it was sickness or old age. On the list for June 6, 1868 a Mrs. Lou Hunter, 25 years old was applying for aid. The reason given, “Husband shot by K.K.K.” Mr. Hunter would be number 44.

NAME	Date of Death	Place	Alleged Crime
Atkins, Henry	30 Jul 1878	Courthouse square oak tree on the western side	Murder of Constable William Fitzgerald
Beaty, Jim	30 Jul 1878	Courthouse square oak tree on the western side	Murder of Constable William Fitzgerald
Bolden/Holden, George	28-Apr-1919	Cheniere station	Wrote an insulting note to a white woman, although he couldn’t read or write.
Bynum, Ferdinand	4 Nov 1876	shot and drowned Ward 1	Unknown – Possible voter intimidation.
Clark, John Albert	30 Apr 1884	China tree on St. John, Anna Grey Noe Park facing courthouse	Murder of John and Elizabeth Rogers
Day, John H.	14 Jun 1894	Planters Oil Mill (8th and Stone)	Arson
Eaton, Warren	22-Oct-1913	Telephone pole “Eastern part of Monroe”.	Making insulting remarks to a white woman.
Elmore, Marcellus	14 Dec 1892	On the D.D. Wood place	Accidentally hitting a white man’s wagon while passing.
Ferran, Washington “Wash”	2 Oct 1897	Tree in front of the courthouse	Rape of the daughters of Isham Landrum
Floyd, Garrison	9 Apr 1894	Carlin Station (near Buckhorn Bend)	Attempted rape of the 6 year old daughter of John Frantom.
Ford, A. (Rev. Dr.)	5 Nov 1893	Filhiol Plantation on Bayou DeSiard	Burned the Cotton Gin of J.P. Parker
Gardner, Henry	14-Mar-1907	Southwest corner of courthouse sq.	Murder of Samuel Diango.
Hill, King	30 Apr 1884	China tree on St. John, Anna Grey Noe Park facing courthouse	Murder of Nick Milling
Holmes, Henry	6-Aug-1914	Hung to a China tree behind Madden’s store	Murder of Jack Madden during a robbery
Jackson, James “Jim”	4 Oct 1876	Shot 1 mile from Monroe near Paragoud’s pasture.	Supported the Republican party
Johnson, Dan	6-Aug-1914	tree on the northeast corner of courthouse square	Murder of Jack Madden during a robbery
Johnson, Primus	10 Oct 1876	Shot at “The Island” near St. James Chapel	Republican party leader
Kendrick, Courtney	4 July 1897	St. James Church	Attempted Murder of Alexander Myatt
Lyle, Jim	9-Aug-1914	Boeuf River Land and Lumber Company commissary, Logtown	Shot for escaping an investigation of the murder of Hardin Purvis
McCauley, James	13 Sept 1896	Claiborne Road, eight miles from Monroe	Rape of two children
McIntyre	14 Apr 1889	Bayou DeSiard	Unknown: Possibly rape.
McNeal, George****	16-Mar-1918	tree on the courthouse lawn opposite the High School	Rape of Mrs. Strozier Note: There is a postcard showing this lynching found online.
Mullican, John	30 Apr 1884	China tree on St. John, Anna Grey Noe Park facing courthouse	Murder of John and Elizabeth Rogers
Phillips, Ples	30 Jul 1878	Courthouse square oak tree on the western side	Murder of Constable William Fitzgerald
Pinkston, Henry	4 Nov 1876	Tortured and shot at St. James Chapel	Supported the Republican party
Pinkston, Infant Girl	4 Nov 1876	Throat cut at St. James Chapel (11 months old)	None (done for voter intimidation)
Porter, Laura	25-Jul-1910	Ouachita River	Robbery, larceny
Pruitt, Louis	6-Aug-1914	tree on the northeast corner of courthouse square	Murder of Jack Madden during a robbery
Rhodes, Merriman	4 Nov 1876	Shot at the “Island”	Supported the Republican party
Robinson, George	16 Feb 1886	Hung near the Freight Depot of the V.S. & P. Railroad	Murder of Millard F. Parker Note: You can find an account of the lynching in the A.A. Gunby Collection at LSU.
Ross, Tom	30 Jul 1878	Courthouse square oak tree on the western side	Murder of Louis Collins
Schautriet, Alfred	26-Aug-1906	Calhoun, LA (downtown) hung to a telegraph pole	Attempted rape of Olive Chambliss
Smart, Abraham Lincoln	10 Jan 1896	Cuba? “the cut-off 18 miles below Monroe”	Murder of Carlisle Douciere
Underwood, Tom	1 Jun 1894	Cole Plantation.	Murder of Lee Moore.
Unknown Black Male	11-Apr-1908	Body found floating in the Ouachita	May have been a man taken from the West Monroe jail for insulting a white man.
Wade, William S. (some papers refer to him as Alfred Thomas)	24-Aug-1909	South Grand Street, Monroe	Shooting Rampage.
Williams, Clyde	22-Apr-1918	McLain Station	Attempted murder of Charles L. Thomas
Williams, Flint	14-Mar-1907	Southwest corner of courthouse sq.	Murder of Samuel Diango.
Williams, George	31 Aug 1879	Hung by a mob on Fluker Plantation Island	Making threats against a Mr. Tidwell.

I will update this post if new information is found.

****NOTE: A second man named John Richards was taken out of jail the same time George McNeal was taken and lynched. Some accounts say Mr. Richards was lynched elsewhere, other accounts state he was released.