Victim ID: VA1904011301
Victim Name: Elmore Moseley
Race: Black
Sex: Male
Age: Unknown
Job: Unknown
Method of Death: Hanged and riddled with bullets
Accusation: Murder of a black man
Date: 1904-01-13
County Name: Sussex
Mob Composition: Black
Summary: Elmore Moseley, a black man, was lynched by a black mob on January 13th, 1904, in Sussex County. Moseley was accused of killing another black man.
In December of 1903, Elmore Moseley (also reported in newspapers as Elmo Mosely) allegedly murdered Allen Fields, a black man, on a county road about six miles from Waverly, in Sussex County (Richmond Times-Dispatch). It is believed that Moseley killed Fields by mistake, as Moseley intended to kill Henry Harrison, another black man. At the beginning of January 1904, Moseley was arrested and charged with murder in Sussex County Court; fearing for a lynching, Moseley was brought to Petersburg for safe-keeping. On January 7th, 1904, Sheriff Prince of Sussex County brought Moseley back in Sussex to stand trial. On January 13th, Moseley was acquitted of the murder; at around 8 PM, a mob composed of black people went to Moseley’s house and took him to Snyder’s farmer near Disputanta, where they hanged and shot him (Roanoke Times). According to Richmond Times-Dispatch, the mob was composed by “friends of the man [Moseley] was suspected of killing.”
On January 25th, 1904 the Prince George grand jury in Petersburg failed to indict anyone for the lynching of Elmore Moseley (Richmond Times-Dispatch).
News Coverage: Alexandria Gazette, Richmond Times-Dispatch, Roanoke Times, Virginian-Pilot
Article Link (from Richmond Times-Dispatch published on 1904-01-08)
Article Link (from Richmond Times-Dispatch published on 1904-01-15)
Article Link (from Richmond Times-Dispatch published on 1904-01-26)