Lynching of John Hartfield

Lynching of John Hartfield

ID: MS1919062601
Name(s) of People Lynched: John Hartfield
Number of People Lynched: 1
Race: Black
Gender: Male
Lynching Date(s): 1919-06-26
Year Marker Erected: 2023
Erected by: Mississippi Department of Archives and History
City: Ellisville
County: Jones
State: Mississippi

Marker Text: On June 26, 1919, John Hartfield, an African American, was lynched in Ellisville allegedly for raping his White girlfriend. After being apprehended by the county sheriff, he was turned over to a mob. The lynching was announced in advance by newspapers, and thousands of spectators watched as Hartfield was hanged from a sweet gum tree and his body riddled with bullets. After being taken down, parts of his body and postcards of the killing were sold as souvenirs and the remains burned.