1881-06-20
Stokes County, NC
Alleged offense: Rape
Race: Black
Gender: Male
Age: Unrecorded
Legal intervention (in alleged offense): Yes
Legal intervention (following lynching): Yes
Mob size: 150
Mob members: Unrecorded
Alleged victim: Unrecorded child
Household Status: Unrecorded
Occupation: Unrecorded
Law enforcement had arrested John Lindsay and Estes Hairston for the alleged rape of a 12-year-old girl and confined them to the Danbury jail for seven months prior to their lynching. On Monday, June 20th, 1881, a mob of 150 masked men rode into town and demanded that the jailor surrender Lindsay and Hairston. Despite the jailor’s attempts to refuse, the mob overpowered him, broke into the jail, and forced open John Lindsay and Estes Hairston’s cells. The mob abducted the pair and brought them to the outside of town and hanged them to the branch of a large oak tree. According to newspaper reports, many members of the community supported the lynching.
Documentation
Death certificate: None found
Census: None found
News coverage:
Location
Town: Danbury, North Carolina
Latitude/Longitude: 36.409267, -80.204146
Rationale: Nearest city or town. “Outside of Danbury.”
Additional Resources:
Researcher’s Note: