William Byrd was an African-American man who was lynched in Brentwood, Wayne County, Georgia by a mob on May 28, 1922. According to the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary it was the 31st of 61 lynchings during 1922 in the United States. [1]
Background
A number of workers were employed to work on the farm of B.W. Moody, a well-off farmer who lived near Byrd. One of those who agreed to work at Moody's farm was Byrd's wife. She wanted to ride in the front of the truck to get to Moody's farm but Moody wouldn't let her. She complained of the slight to her husband, William Byrd.[2] He went to confront Moody and the argument got out of control with Byrd allegedly shooting and killing Moody and seriously wounded Browning Weaver and Carlos Moody in the arm.[3] [4]
Lynching
Byrd fled into the wilderness but hounds were procured from the sheriff of Wayne county at Jesup, Georgia, and used to track him down. He was surrounded and shot multiple times. The perpetrators then burned the body.[3]
See also
Alfred Williams was lynched on March 12, 1922, in Harlem, Georgia, for allegedly shooting and wounding L.O. Anderson, a white farmer. Anderson recovered from his wounds.[5] [6]
Bibliography
Notes
References
- "Negro is shot by mob and burned after a killing". Americus Times-Recorder. Americus, Sumter, Georgia: Times Pub. Co. May 29, 1922. pp. 1–6. ISSN 2768-6922. OCLC 21134729. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
- "Negro wounds farmer; lynched". The Cook County News-Herald. Grand Marais, Cook, Minnesota: Matt Johnson. March 16, 1922. pp. 1–5. ISSN 2329-5309. OCLC 1565034. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
- "Mob Lynches Negro". The Daily Ardmoreite. Ardmore, Carter, Oklahoma: John F. Easley. May 29, 1922. pp. 1–8. ISSN 1065-7894. OCLC 12101538. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
- "Mob Kills Negro who shot farmer". Evening Star. Washington, District of Columbia: W.D. Wallach & Hope. May 29, 1922. pp. 1–22. ISSN 2331-9968. OCLC 2260929. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
- "Negro lynched but victim will recover". Great Falls Tribune. Great Falls, Cascade, Montana: Tribune Co. March 13, 1922. pp. 1–10. ISSN 2378-850X. OCLC 9374534. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
- United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary (1926). "To Prevent and Punish the Crime of Lynching: Hearings Before the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on S. 121, Sixty-Ninth Congress, First Session, on Feb. 16, 1926". United States Government Publishing Office. Retrieved January 23, 2022.