Lynching in America / Lynching of Sam Pulliam

Marker Text: On July 20, 1891, Sam Pulliam, a Black man, was lynched by a mob of at least 60 White people. The mob formed to pursue him after the wife of a prominent White farmer accused him of assault while her husband was away from home. Fearful that he would face violent reprisal from local White people without the chance to defend himself against the allegations, Mr. Pulliam attempted to flee to safety on the local Louisville Southern railroad. In this era, African Americans faced hostile suspicion and were burdened by a presumption of quilt, such that White people’s allegations against Black people were rarely subject to scrutiny. Before he could leave, the Shelbyville Chief of Police intercepted and took him into custody. Shortly afterwards, Mr. Pulliam was kidnapped by a White mob and hanged from a tree. It was not uncommon for lynch mobs to seize their victims from the custody of law enforcement even though they were armed and charged with protecting the men and women in their custody. The local White press was sympathetic to the mob, evoking images of them as chivalrous in contrast to the derogatory and dehumanizing terms used to condemn Mr. Pulliam. The types of narratives sought to justify the violence and perpetuate the deadly stereotype of Black men as threats to White womanhood. Like nearly all lynching victims, Mr. Pulliam was lynched by a White mob that never faced prosecution for the lynching.