Wyatt Outlaw: Difference between revisions
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{{short description|African American who was lynched in the U.S.}} |
{{short description|African American who was lynched in the U.S.}} |
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⚫ | '''Wyatt Outlaw''' (1820{{spaced ndash}}February 26, 1870) was the first African-American |
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{{Use American English|date=June 2023}} |
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⚫ | '''Wyatt Outlaw''' (c. 1820{{spaced ndash}}February 26, 1870) was an American politician and the first African-American to serve as Town Commissioner and Constable of the town of [[Graham, North Carolina]]. He was lynched by the White Brotherhood, a branch of the [[Ku Klux Klan]] on February 26, 1870.<ref name="RedStrings">Nelson, Scott Reynolds, "Red Strings and Half-Brothers: Civil Wars in Alamance County, North Carolina" in John Inscoe and Robert Kenzer, ed., ''Enemies of the Country: Unionism in the South During the Civil War'' (University of Georgia Press, 2001), 37-53.</ref> His death, along with the assassination of white Republican State Senator [[John W. Stephens]] at the [[Caswell County Courthouse]], provoked Governor [[William Woods Holden]] to declare [[martial law]] in [[Alamance County, North Carolina|Alamance]] and [[Caswell County, North Carolina|Caswell Counties]], resulting in the [[Kirk-Holden War]] of 1870.<ref name="Troxler">Troxler, Carole Watterson and William Murray Vincent (1999). ''Shuttle & Plow: A History of Alamance County, North Carolina''. Alamance County Historical Association.</ref><ref name="Recorder">The Hillsboro Recorder, April 6, 1870.</ref> |
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== Biography == |
== Biography == |
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Outlaw was apparently of mixed racial heritage. He was mentioned in a letter as being the son of a white Alamance County slave-owner Chesley F. Faucett |
Outlaw was apparently of mixed racial heritage. He was mentioned in a letter as being the son of a white Alamance County slave-owner Chesley F. Faucett.<ref name ="RedStrings"/> One source suggests he lived on the tobacco farm of Nancy Outlaw on Jordan Creek, northeast of [[Graham, North Carolina]]. Sources conflict on the question of whether Outlaw was born a slave or a free person of color.<ref name ="Troxler" /> |
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Outlaw |
Outlaw is probably the same person enlisted as "Wright Outlaw" in the [[United States Colored Troops|2nd Regiment U. S. Colored Cavalry]] in 1863 who fought in various engagements in Virginia and was later stationed on the [[Rio Grande]] in Texas until mustered out in February 1866.<ref name ="RedStrings" /> |
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[[File:Wyatt Outlaw Union League commission.jpg|thumb|Outlaw's commission into the [[Union League]], dated July 5, 1867 and signed by [[William Woods Holden]]]] |
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Outlaw, whose trade was woodworking and cabinet-making, was an African-American community leader in Alamance County. In 1866 he founded or cofounded the Loyal Republican League in Alamance.<ref name = "RedStrings" /> In 1868, Outlaw was among a number of trustees who were deeded land for the establishment of the first [[African Methodist Episcopal Church]] in Alamance County.<ref name ="Troxler" /> Outlaw's Loyal Republican League was later incorporated into the [[Union League]], a fraternal order connected to the Republican Party.<ref name = "RedStrings" /> |
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Outlaw's prominent activities on behalf of African Americans in Alamance County made him a target of the |
Outlaw's prominent activities on behalf of African Americans in Alamance County made him a target of the White Brotherhood and the [[Constitutional Union Guard]], both local branches of the [[Ku Klux Klan]].<ref name="RedStrings"/> As a prominent Republican in Alamance County, Outlaw was appointed to the Graham Town Council by Governor Holden and soon became one of three constables of the town – all three of whom were African Americans.<ref name="Whitaker">Whitaker, Walter (1949). ''Centennial History of Alamance County 1849-1949''. Burlington Chamber of Commerce.</ref> On one occasion in 1869, white residents of the area who were incensed by the prospect of being policed by an all African-American constabulary organized a nighttime ride in Klan garb through the streets of Graham in an effort to frighten the African-American constables. Outlaw and another constable opened fire on the night riders, but no injuries were sustained.<ref name="Whitaker" /> |
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Outlaw's aggressive response to the night riders |
Outlaw's aggressive response to the night riders may have inflamed the anger of Klan sympathizers. The night of February 26, 1870, a party of unidentified men rode into Graham, dragged Outlaw from his home and hung him from an elm tree in the courthouse square in Graham, in what is now known as Sesquicentennial Park, located at {{coord|36|04|11.3|N|79|24|02.3|W|type:landmark}}.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The life and tragic death of Wyatt Outlaw|url=https://www.thetimesnews.com/article/20150816/NEWS/150819177|access-date=2020-06-29|website=The Times-News|language=en|archive-date=June 29, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200629202043/https://www.thetimesnews.com/article/20150816/NEWS/150819177|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=":0">Grand jury testimony of James Fonville, recorded in The Southern Home, March 7, 1871. http://lynching.web.unc.edu/files/2015/05/The_Southern_Home_Tue__Mar_7__1871_.jpg</ref> Outlaw's body bore on the chest a message from the perpetrators: "Beware, ye guilty, both black and white."<ref name="Whitaker" /><ref name=":0" /><ref name="Patriot">The Greensboro Patriot, March 3, 1870.</ref><ref>[https://www.odmp.org/officer/23896-constable-wyatt-outlaw Wyatt Outlaw memorial ODMP website]</ref> |
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A local African-American man named Puryear claimed to know who was responsible for the lynching, but Puryear was soon found dead in a nearby pond.<ref name ="Troxler" /> |
A local African-American man named Puryear claimed to know who was responsible for the lynching, but Puryear was soon found dead in a nearby pond.<ref name ="Troxler" /> |
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In 1873, [[Guilford County]] Superior Court Judge [[Albion Tourgee]] advocated for re-visiting the murder of Wyatt Outlaw. That year the Grand Jury of Alamance County brought felony indictments against 63 Klansmen, including 18 murder counts, in connection with the lynching of Wyatt Outlaw. However, the Democratic-controlled state legislature repealed the laws under which most of these indictments had been brought, so the charges were dropped. No one was ever tried in connection with Outlaw's murder.<ref name ="Troxler" /> |
In 1873, [[Guilford County]] Superior Court Judge [[Albion Tourgee]] advocated for re-visiting the murder of Wyatt Outlaw. That year the Grand Jury of Alamance County brought felony indictments against 63 Klansmen, including 18 murder counts, in connection with the lynching of Wyatt Outlaw. Among those were James Bradshaw, Jesse Thompson, Michael Michael Thompson Teer, Geo. Mebane, Henry Robison, George Rogers, John S. Dixon, Walter Thornton, David Johnson, Curry Johnson, James Johnson, Thomas Tate, and Van Buren Holt. However, the Democratic-controlled state legislature repealed the laws under which most of these indictments had been brought, so the charges were dropped. No one was ever tried in connection with Outlaw's murder.<ref name ="Troxler" /> |
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==Notes== |
==Notes== |
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{{Lynching in the United States}} |
{{Lynching in the United States}} |
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{{Authority control}} |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:1820s births]] |
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[[Category:1870 deaths]] |
[[Category:1870 deaths]] |
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[[Category:1870 murders in the United States]] |
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[[Category:African-American politicians during the Reconstruction Era]] |
[[Category:African-American politicians during the Reconstruction Era]] |
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[[Category:Activists for African-American civil rights]] |
[[Category:Activists for African-American civil rights]] |
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[[Category:Ku Klux Klan |
[[Category:Victims of the Ku Klux Klan]] |
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[[Category:Murdered African-American people]] |
[[Category:Murdered African-American people]] |
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[[Category:Racially motivated violence against African Americans]] |
[[Category:Racially motivated violence against African Americans]] |
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[[Category:Union Army soldiers]] |
[[Category:Union Army soldiers]] |
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[[Category:People of North Carolina in the American Civil War]] |
[[Category:People of North Carolina in the American Civil War]] |
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[[Category:Ku Klux Klan in North Carolina]] |
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[[Category:Violence during Reconstruction (1865–1877)]] |
Latest revision as of 14:27, 20 March 2024
Wyatt Outlaw (c. 1820 – February 26, 1870) was an American politician and the first African-American to serve as Town Commissioner and Constable of the town of Graham, North Carolina. He was lynched by the White Brotherhood, a branch of the Ku Klux Klan on February 26, 1870.[1] His death, along with the assassination of white Republican State Senator John W. Stephens at the Caswell County Courthouse, provoked Governor William Woods Holden to declare martial law in Alamance and Caswell Counties, resulting in the Kirk-Holden War of 1870.[2][3]
Biography
[edit]Outlaw was apparently of mixed racial heritage. He was mentioned in a letter as being the son of a white Alamance County slave-owner Chesley F. Faucett.[1] One source suggests he lived on the tobacco farm of Nancy Outlaw on Jordan Creek, northeast of Graham, North Carolina. Sources conflict on the question of whether Outlaw was born a slave or a free person of color.[2]
Outlaw is probably the same person enlisted as "Wright Outlaw" in the 2nd Regiment U. S. Colored Cavalry in 1863 who fought in various engagements in Virginia and was later stationed on the Rio Grande in Texas until mustered out in February 1866.[1]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c5/Wyatt_Outlaw_Union_League_commission.jpg/220px-Wyatt_Outlaw_Union_League_commission.jpg)
Outlaw, whose trade was woodworking and cabinet-making, was an African-American community leader in Alamance County. In 1866 he founded or cofounded the Loyal Republican League in Alamance.[1] In 1868, Outlaw was among a number of trustees who were deeded land for the establishment of the first African Methodist Episcopal Church in Alamance County.[2] Outlaw's Loyal Republican League was later incorporated into the Union League, a fraternal order connected to the Republican Party.[1]
Outlaw's prominent activities on behalf of African Americans in Alamance County made him a target of the White Brotherhood and the Constitutional Union Guard, both local branches of the Ku Klux Klan.[1] As a prominent Republican in Alamance County, Outlaw was appointed to the Graham Town Council by Governor Holden and soon became one of three constables of the town – all three of whom were African Americans.[4] On one occasion in 1869, white residents of the area who were incensed by the prospect of being policed by an all African-American constabulary organized a nighttime ride in Klan garb through the streets of Graham in an effort to frighten the African-American constables. Outlaw and another constable opened fire on the night riders, but no injuries were sustained.[4]
Outlaw's aggressive response to the night riders may have inflamed the anger of Klan sympathizers. The night of February 26, 1870, a party of unidentified men rode into Graham, dragged Outlaw from his home and hung him from an elm tree in the courthouse square in Graham, in what is now known as Sesquicentennial Park, located at 36°04′11.3″N 79°24′02.3″W / 36.069806°N 79.400639°W.[5][6] Outlaw's body bore on the chest a message from the perpetrators: "Beware, ye guilty, both black and white."[4][6][7][8]
A local African-American man named Puryear claimed to know who was responsible for the lynching, but Puryear was soon found dead in a nearby pond.[2]
In 1873, Guilford County Superior Court Judge Albion Tourgee advocated for re-visiting the murder of Wyatt Outlaw. That year the Grand Jury of Alamance County brought felony indictments against 63 Klansmen, including 18 murder counts, in connection with the lynching of Wyatt Outlaw. Among those were James Bradshaw, Jesse Thompson, Michael Michael Thompson Teer, Geo. Mebane, Henry Robison, George Rogers, John S. Dixon, Walter Thornton, David Johnson, Curry Johnson, James Johnson, Thomas Tate, and Van Buren Holt. However, the Democratic-controlled state legislature repealed the laws under which most of these indictments had been brought, so the charges were dropped. No one was ever tried in connection with Outlaw's murder.[2]
Notes
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f Nelson, Scott Reynolds, "Red Strings and Half-Brothers: Civil Wars in Alamance County, North Carolina" in John Inscoe and Robert Kenzer, ed., Enemies of the Country: Unionism in the South During the Civil War (University of Georgia Press, 2001), 37-53.
- ^ a b c d e Troxler, Carole Watterson and William Murray Vincent (1999). Shuttle & Plow: A History of Alamance County, North Carolina. Alamance County Historical Association.
- ^ The Hillsboro Recorder, April 6, 1870.
- ^ a b c Whitaker, Walter (1949). Centennial History of Alamance County 1849-1949. Burlington Chamber of Commerce.
- ^ "The life and tragic death of Wyatt Outlaw". The Times-News. Archived from the original on June 29, 2020. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
- ^ a b Grand jury testimony of James Fonville, recorded in The Southern Home, March 7, 1871. http://lynching.web.unc.edu/files/2015/05/The_Southern_Home_Tue__Mar_7__1871_.jpg
- ^ The Greensboro Patriot, March 3, 1870.
- ^ Wyatt Outlaw memorial ODMP website
- 1820s births
- 1870 deaths
- 1870 murders in the United States
- African-American politicians during the Reconstruction Era
- Activists for African-American civil rights
- Victims of the Ku Klux Klan
- Murdered African-American people
- Racially motivated violence against African Americans
- People murdered in North Carolina
- Lynching deaths in North Carolina
- People from Graham, North Carolina
- North Carolina Republicans
- African Americans in the American Civil War
- Union Army soldiers
- People of North Carolina in the American Civil War
- Ku Klux Klan in North Carolina
- Violence during Reconstruction (1865–1877)