Lynchings in Missouri, 1803-1981

At least 227 mob lynchings took place on Missouri soil between 1803 and 1981, all of which are identified, confirmed, and documented in this first investigation of the state’s lynching history. The first four chapters focus on lynchings which took place before the nationwide lynching fervor of the 1880s. The topics covered in other chapters include: law enforcement efforts to punish lynchers; the link between black lynchings and either founded or unfounded rape allegations; horse/hog stealing, bank robbery, murder, sex crimes, and other notable offenses for which whites were lynched; and the still-unsolved lynching of a white man in Skidmore, Missouri in 1981. The book also documents, usually with an in-state source, 50 falsely reported, doubtful, and/or foiled lynchings which took place between 1857 and 1930.