Victim ID: VA1883041101
Victim Name: William M. Crockett
Race: White
Sex: Male
Age: Unknown
Job: Unknown
Method of Death: Hanged and riddled with bullets
Accusation: Murder of a white man
Date: 1883-04-11
City: Wytheville
Mob Composition: About 20 to 40 men, disguised

Summary: On April 11, 1883, a group of 20 men took William M. Crockett, a white man, from jail in Wytheville, Wythe County, and lynched him for the murder of a man and the attempted murder of a boy who witnessed the first murder.

William Crockett was playing a game of ten-pins with a friend, Joe Hurt. Upon Hurt winning the game, as well as a considerable amount of money from Crockett, Crockett proceeded to rob and shoot Hurt. After a young boy witnessed the murder of Hurt, Crockett also attempted to murder the young boy in order to prevent him from testifying against him in court. Upon attempting to flee the scene, Crockett was apprehended and placed in jail. On the night of April 11, 1883, at approximately 1 AM, a group of 20 to 40 men approached the jail where Crockett was being held, claiming they were an officer who had another prisoner to place inside. The jail guard opened the door, and the group of men rushed in, removing Crockett from his jail cell. Crockett was taken outside where he was hanged from a mill beam and his body riddled with bullets. According to The Daily Dispatch, “The coroner jury brought in a verdict of death by strangulation and gunshot wounds at the hands of unknown parties”.

News Coverage: Daily Dispatch, Norfolk Virginian, Staunton Spectator, Staunton Vindicator

Article Link (from The Daily Dispatch published on 1883-04-13)
Article Link (from Staunton Spectator published on 1883-04-17)