In December 1933, James Cordie Cheek, a Black teenager, was abducted from Nashville, Tennessee, and taken to Maury County, where a white mob castrated and lynched him. He had been accused of attempting to rape a white girl, but a grand jury found insufficient evidence to indict him and he was released from jail. His release did not save him from the men who took the law into their own hands.
Cordie lived with his parents in Glendale, a small community near Columbia, the county seat of Maury County. His mother, Tenny Cheek, had worked for many years for a nearby white family named Moore. She arranged for Cordie to help with chores at their home.
Henry Carl Moore, the family’s 19-year-old son, and Cordie had developed a strained relationship. According to historical accounts, the two young men had once fought over a disagreement involving payment owed to Cordie and his mother.
On November 16, 1933, Cordie was chopping wood at the Moore family home. While carrying a load into the house, he accidentally collided with Henry’s 11-year-old sister, Lady Ann Moore, tearing her dress.
According to later historical accounts, Henry persuaded his younger sister to accuse Cordie of attempting to rape her. The accusation led to Cordie’s arrest.
Cordie was initially held in Pulaski before being transferred to Nashville, where authorities feared for his safety. A Maury County grand jury eventually considered the accusation but found insufficient evidence to indict him. He was released from the Davidson County jail on December 13, 1933.
He went to stay with his uncle and aunt, whose home was near Fisk University in Nashville. However, his release did not end the threat against him.
Shortly after his arrival, a group of white men from Maury County travelled to Nashville and abducted him. Among those implicated were C. Hayes Denton, a county magistrate whose car was used in the kidnapping, and Bob Hancock and Bert Erwin, who were also identified in accounts of the abduction.
The men took Cordie back to Maury County, where a white mob had gathered. A crowd of local residents, including women and children, assembled to witness the lynching.
Cordie was forced onto a ladder beneath a cedar tree. The mob blindfolded him and placed a rope around his neck. His clothes were removed, and he was castrated. According to historical accounts, Bert Erwin pushed the ladder away, leaving Cordie hanging from the tree. Witnesses also reported that members of the crowd fired pistols into the air.
The lynching took place on December 15, 1933. Cordie was reported to have been 17 years old.
Following the lynching, prosecutors considered indicting six suspects. However, a grand jury refused to bring charges against anyone. Despite witnesses identifying men involved in the kidnapping and providing information about the vehicles used, nobody was held responsible.
The killing of Cordie Cheek became part of the documented history of racial violence in Tennessee, where accusations against Black men could expose them to mob violence even when the legal process found insufficient evidence to prosecute them.
Sources:
https://blackfreedom.proquest.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/lynching1.pdf
https://digitalsc.lib.vt.edu/Ms1987_026_CheekCordie_/Ms1987_026_CheekCordie_Lynching_ThomasEJones_F01
