1914-01-27
Johnston County, NC

Alleged offense: Murder
Race: Black
Gender: Male
Age: 25
Legal intervention (in alleged offense): Yes
Legal intervention (following lynching): Yes
Mob size: 500-1000
Mob members: Unrecorded
Alleged victim: Millie Lynch
Household Status: Unrecorded
Occupation:Sawmill hand

On the 27th of January, 1914, an African American man, Jim Wilson, allegedly killed a white woman, Mrs. William Lynch, with an axe following an argument. For this alleged crime, Wilson was soon arrested and held in a jail in Selma. The morning of the 28th, a mob of about 500 took Wilson from Sheriff Grimes and took him Johnston County where they shot, beat and attempted to hang him until he died. Reportedly, state militia was sent to avert the lynching crime, but arrived too late to prevent Wilson’s murder.

Documentation

Death certificate: None found
Census: 1910 Census Wilson

News coverage:

Lynch Negro Slayer

Mob Lynches Jim Wilson and Lets Worth Sanders Go

Mob Lynches Jim Wilson and Lets Worth Sanders Go cont.

Mob Lynches Negro Before the Arrival of State Troops

Mob Lynches Negro Before the Arrival of State Troops cont.

Militia Late at Lynching

Location

Town: Selma, North Carolina
Latitude/Longitude: 35.752150, -78.341895
Rationale: Estimated site of lynching according to accounts that it was just past Wendell in Johnston County, NC.

Additional Resources:

Researcher’s Note: