Victim ID: VA1893040201
Victim Name: Charles Morgan
Race: Black
Sex: Male
Age: Unknown
Job: Coal miner
Method of Death: Hanged and riddled with bullets
Accusation: Murder of a black man
Date: 1893-04-02
City: Graham
Mob Composition: Black
Summary: Charles Morgan, an African American coal miner, was lynched on April 2nd, 1893, in Graham, Tazewell County. Morgan had indiscriminately fired into a crowd of people and killed John Leese, a young black boy.
On Friday, March 31st, 1893, Kiz Redd, a notorious moonshiner, found an empty house in Graham to sell her moonshine whiskey. Officer John Chandler stopped by the house to quiet the drunken noise levels. At midnight, Charles Morgan started a fusillade inside the house, shooting and killing John Leese, a young black boy. Morgan was arrested, charged with the murder of John Leese and put in the Graham Jail (Alexandria Gazette). At around midnight on Sunday, April 2nd, 1893, “a mob of the better class of negroes marched to the jail quietly, and took possession of the prisoner. Half a mile west of the town the body of Morgan hangs to a ‘sour apple tree’ this morning filled with bullets” (The Times). The Times also noted that “the white citizens are generally in sympathy with the lynchers […]. The authorities are hard at work today making arrests and investigating the case. This is one of the few cases where a negro was lynched by negroes.” There were rumors that Kiz Redd was lynched too, but the Roanoke Times reported that she was able to escape the mob. The Richmond Planet criticized Governor McKinney for making no efforts to apprehend and punish the lynchers of Charles Morgan.
News Coverage: Alexandria Gazette, Clinch Valley News, Richmond Planet, Roanoke Times, The Times
Article Link (from Alexandria Gazette published on 1893-04-05)
Article Link (from Clinch Valley News published on 1893-04-07)
Article Link (from The Times published on 1893-04-04)