1885-07-02
Anson County, NC
Alleged offense: Rape
Race: Black
Gender: Male
Age: Unrecorded
Legal intervention (in alleged offense): No
Legal intervention (following lynching): No
Mob size: 75
Mob members: Unrecorded
Alleged victim: a Mrs. Bruner
Household Status: Unrecorded
Occupation: Unrecorded
John Boggan, an African American ma,n was lynched on July 3rd for allegedly raping a “widow lady of great respectability” in mid-June. According to newspaper accounts, Boggan broke into the home of a Mrs. Bruner, a widow in Wadesboro. Boggan allegedly raped Bruner and after fleeing from the home, a citizen-led man-hunt ensued for Boggan. In early July, after over a week of no success, North Carolina Governor A.M. Scales issued a $100 reward in newspapers across the state for anyone who could deliver Boggan to the State Courthouse. On July 2nd a mob of seventy-five people reportedly threatened Boggan’s girlfriend with lynching if she did not reveal where Boggan was hiding. She reportedly led this group of men to Boggan’s hiding place, a “cave” near his mother’s house, where Boggan made “a full confession.” The mob then marched Boggan to the Wadesboro court house, where they arrived in the early morning of July 3rd. The mob then hanged Boggan to a tree near the courthouse and reportedly placed a sign on his chest: “This man makes a full confession. Our women must be protected” and then shot Boggan’s body.
Documentation
Death certificate: None found
Census: None found
News coverage:
A Proclamation by the Governor: $100 Reward
Location
Town: Wadesboro, North Carolina
Latitude/Longitude: 34.966688, -80.076054
Rationale: Near the Wadesboro courthouse.
Additional Resources:
Researcher’s Note: