James Reed
MSA SC 3520-13758
Lynched in Crisfield, July 28, 1907
Biography:
James Reed, an African American laborer,
was lynched by a mob in Crisfield, Maryland on July 28, 1907. Reed, originally from North Carolina, resided in Maryland for only eight months before his murder. The lynching was prompted by the murder of the night Chief of Police John
H. Daugherty. Reed was accused of murdering Daugherty after Daugherty
arrested Reed's business partner, who was only known as Hildred. Hildred was arrested
for selling whiskey. Chief Daugherty and Officer Evans were walking
their prisoner, Hildred, through the African American business section of town. When Reed learned of the arrest he ran to an African American billiard in the
area and borrowed a .44 caliber revolver from Lemuel Showers, the owner of the establishment. Reed then supposedly followed Daugherty and Evans several blocks
before firing. One bullet hit Daugherty in the back
of the head, exiting above the right eye, killing him instantaneously. Both
Reed and the prisoner fled the scene and were immediately lost among a
crowd of people.1
Officers were dispatched to different parts of town
in order to prevent Reed's escape. The search party believed Reed had secured
a boat and exited town through the local waterways. However, it was
reported that Reed stole a bicycle and followed the railroad out of town
before reaching the area known as Coulbourne Creek. It was here that Reed reportedly stole a small mail boat.
Authorities chartered a fleet of small gasoline launchers to search the
waterways for Reed. Reed was at least 10 miles outside of Crisfield
before he was spotted by Captain Chelton of the Ercliff Vessel. Reed
hid in the cabin of the mail boat. After several commands to surrender,
Reed then jumped into the water and was shortly apprehended by Captain Chelton.
The search party returned to Crisfield with Reed in custody. As they
led Reed back towards the scene of the crime, the mob became explosively
violent. Reed was killed from blows to the head which resulted in a fractured
skull. His body was then hung from a telegraph pole as
citizens celebrated and photographed the lynching. Reed's body was then buried cruedly
in the marsh. However, later that night angry citizens dug up the body and further abused the cropse with bullets. Rioters then threw
his body upon a bonfire. The rioters continued to run through
the African American community, pulling people from their homes and beating
them indiscriminately. The mob reportedly threatened several black men to leave town immediately.2
The town council assembled the following afternoon in
an effort to restore peace to Crisfield. African American leaders and professionals
attended the meeting to offer several resolutions to produce peace among
blacks and whites in the community. They requested that all African American
owned places of amusement be closed in order to prevent people from congregating
or organizing a retaliation. Several saloons and billiards
were closed immediately. Many African American residents were arrested for vagrancy. Councilmen
accepted a motion that all African American visiting from out of town report to authorities
and state their reason for being in town, asking permission to stay. Delegates offered another resolution condemning Reed for the murder
of Daugherty. The council further stated that the African American community would
have joined in the search and that the lynching was justifiable.
Officials may have offered this resolution out of fear that future
violence would plague their community. Many must have believed
these resolutions would prove their willingness to cooperate thereby calming
angry citizens of Crisfield. However, several newspaper articles did not agree that
the lynching was justifiable. The Afro-American -Ledger stated on
August 3, 1907 that it was unbelievable that the better element among the
colored people would endorse the lynching of James Reed.3 The Baltimore
Sun stated:
"There are abundant reasons why the people of Crisfield should deplore the lynching of James Reed, a negro murderer. In the first place, the murderer would have been hanged by due process of law if the courts had been left to deal with him. Maryland justice lacks, in such cases, neither swiftness nor sureness...No mob is capable of administering the law in a way that will strengthen our civilization or add to the security of society. Lawlessness begets contempt of the law and of orderly procedure. The lyncher of today may be the victim of mob law tomorrow. The safety of every community rests upon the prompt and rigid enforcement of the law in courts of justice. To encourage Judge Lynch is to place a premium upon acts of violence and to expose every citizen to vengeance of a mob incapable of acting calm and discriminating justice. Let the courts of Maryland punish lawbreakers in Maryland."4
There was no investigation into the lynching of James Reed. There was also no interference or sentiments about the event from a state level. Lemuel Showers, the owner of the revolver that Reed used to kill Chief Daugherty, was arrested after leaving town. Showers was jailed in Princess Anne to await his trial, but no report has been found on the outcome of his trial. Nor is there any report on the capture of the prisoner Hildred. It is believed he escaped during the chaos.5
Footnotes
1. "Mob Kills Negro." The Baltimore Sun, 29 July 1907.
2. ibid.
3. "Another Lynching." The Afro-American Ledger, 3 August 1907.
4. "Crisfield in a Frenzy." The Baltimore Sun, 30 July 1907.
5. ibid.
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