Victim ID: VA1917101201
Victim Name: Walter Clark
Race: Black
Sex: Male
Age: 40
Job: Laborer
Method of Death: Burned and riddled with bullets
Accusation: Shooting a black woman and killed a white police officer and wounded others
Date: 1917-10-12
City: Danville
Mob Composition: Armed, thousands
Summary: On October 12th, 1917, a black man named Walter Clark was lynched by several thousands in Danville for shooting his wife and killing a white police officer, as well as injuring others.
Walter Clark shot his wife in their home in Danville, Pittsylvania County, on October 12th, 1917. Officer McRae arrived at the scene to arrest Clark, but Clark asked him if he had a warrant for his arrest. When Officer McRae said that he didn’t have one, Clark shot and killed him, and then barricaded himself in the house (Richmond Planet). As Deputy Sheriff Boisseau tried to recover McRae’s body, Clark shot him as well, seriously wounding him and then other officers coming to the scene. A mob of several thousand people surrounded Clark’s home for several hours, many of them armed; Clark attempted to get out by firing at the crowd outside his home, injuring more people. The mob tried for two hours to force Clark out of the house by shooting at it; having failed to force him out, they even threw dynamite at Clark’s house. Ultimately, the mob doused Clark’s house with ten gallons of gasoline and set it on fire. As Clark ran out of the house to escape the smoke and flames, the crowd riddled his body with hundreds of bullets (Alexandria Gazette). According to the Richmond Planet, the mob got Clark’s body after beating up a black undertaker who the mob believed was in sympathy with Clark, while in reality was only looking after his business. Walter Clark’s death certificate stated that he died of gunshot wounds and that his death was a justifiable homicide because he was resisting arrest.
In a brief editorial, the Richmond Times-Dispatch commented: “Regrettable as the recent Danville tragedy is, it would be a mistake to confuse It with ordinary lynchings. It was merely the effort of a crowd of citizens to put out of commission a negro murderer who defied arrest and ran amuck.” The Richmond Planet instead wrote: “As Clark was undoubtedly lynched and an honorable, self respecting colored citizen In the undertaking business beaten and narrowly escaped the same fate, the reputation of the community has been injured throughout the civilized world. All of this could have been prevented by the exercise of a little good judgment.”
Archival Sources: Death Certificate
News Coverage: Alexandria Gazette, Daily Star, Richmond Planet, Richmond Times-Dispatch, Roanoke Times, Staunton Daily Leader, Virginian-Pilot, World-News
Article Link (from Alexandria Gazette published on 1917-10-13)
Article Link (from Richmond Planet published on 1917-10-20)
Article Link (from Richmond Planet published on 1917-10-20)