Victim ID: VA1891101704
Victim Name: Charles Miller
Race: Black
Sex: Male
Age: Unknown
Job: Iron mill
Method of Death: Hanged and riddled with bullets
Accusation: Killing two white men
Date: 1891-10-17
City: Clifton Forge
Mob Composition: 300-500 men
Summary: A large body of men lynched Charles Miller, a black man, around 10PM on October 17th, 1891, a mile from a place called ‘Slaughter Hollow’ in Clifton Forge. Miller was accused of killing one white man and injuring another one.
Charles Miller was another participant in the Clifton Forge tragedy that took place on Saturday, October 17th, 1891. Charles Miller was reported as the leader of the band of five black iron mill workers that came into Clifton Forge from Low Moor on Saturday, October 17th. Mr. Miller was “noisy and profane” causing an officer to arrest him (The Roanoke Times). Once under arrest, Robert Burton, John Scott and Robert Scott pulled out their revolvers and threatened the officer to release him. Soon after, they fled while the officer called for assistance from citizens and other officers. Two white men, Philip Bowling and Fred Wilkinson, were shot as the black workers and a posse of white citizens clashed while on pursuit. Mr. Bowling was shot by Miller and died instantly. Wilkinson was severely wounded. Once captured, the threat of lynching filled citizens with excitement. According to the Richmond Dispatch, “At 10:15 pm the mob attacked the city jail, overpowered the guard, and took the four negro rioters out and hung them to the railroad bridge.” It was reported that before Charles Miller was hung, he begged for the life of Miller Morton, an eighteen-year-old who was with them. That Sunday, around 10 o’clock, Miller’s body was taken down by friends and sent back to Low Moor. The Coroner’s Inquisition called to investigate the triple lynching concluded that the parties responsible for their lynching were unknown.
For the following weeks, the Richmond Planet covered extensively the lynching in Clifton Forge, criticizing the authorities for not preventing the lynching and for failing to investigate and apprehend the lynchers. The Planet also published a picture of the three men hanging from the tree where they were lynched. For a detailed account of these lynchings and how they spurred the Richmond Planet‘s anti-lynching campaign, you can read the essay ““Virginia’s Shame”: The 1891 Lynching of Three Black Miners in Clifton Forge” by Dolores Flamiano.
News Coverage: Richmond Dispatch, Richmond Planet, Roanoke Times, Staunton Spectator, Valley Virginian
Article Link (from Richmond Dispatch published on 1891-10-18)
Article Link (from Roanoke Times published on 1891-10-20)
Article Link (from Staunton Spectator published on 1891-10-21)