The Lynching of Henry White / Racial Injustice in America

Marker Text: On September 20, 1916, Henry White, a 24-year-old African American was lynched by a large white mob in the city of Durham in Walker County. Georgia. Mr. White had come to Durham from Chattanooga, Tennessee and worked as a miner in the Pittsburg-Durham coal mines. Earlier that morning. it was reported that the white daughter of a local justice of the peace had been assaulted by a black man. Without investigation or further scrutiny, a mob of at least 300 white men quickly gathered with guns and hounds to search for the alleged assailant. After a few hours, the mob found Mr. White and presumed he was guilty of the assault. It was later reported that Mr. White and this white woman may have been in a consensual relationship. When the mob confronted him, an exchange of gunfire ensued. Mr. White was wounded as he tried to resist the mob’s attack and was captured. With Mr. White in hand, the mob made “no attempt at secrecy” to conceal their identities or plans, even after law enforcement officers arrived. Despite their legal authority, the officers made no arrests and failed to restrain the mob. Reports stated that Mr. White allegedly confessed, pleading for his constitutional right to trial. Denying his plea, the mob hanged him to a tree with a log chain. Henry White’s death was officially ruled a homicide, but in the end, no one was held accountable for his lynching.