1891-09-08
Sampson County, NC
Alleged offense: Assault
Race: Black
Gender: Male
Age: Unrecorded
Legal intervention (in alleged offense): Yes
Legal intervention (following lynching): No
Mob size: 50
Mob members: possibly Mrs. Peterson, Mrs. Peterson’s son
Alleged victim: Mrs. Peterson
Household Status: Unrecorded
Occupation: Unrecorded
According to newspaper accounts, a white woman named Mrs. Peterson was attacked by a man on her way to visit her son in Garland. Peterson said she fought him off and went to her son’s house. Peterson’s son organized a mob suspected Mack Best. The mob captured Best. Peterson identified Best as the attacker. The mob held Best in a Parkersburg building and planned to take him to the jail at Clinton on Monday. On Sunday, September 9, another mob of 50 abducted Best. The mob hanged Best at the scene of the alleged crime.The mob fired at Best after hanging him. A train found his body hanging the next day.
Documentation
Death certificate: None found
Census: None found
News coverage:
Location
Town: Garland, North Carolina
Latitude/Longitude: 34.808016, -78.402275
Rationale: Located probable lynching site through referencing historical map and charter of the Cape Fear and Yadkin Valley Railroad.
Additional Resources:
Researcher’s Note: