Lemuel Walters was a Black man in Longview, Texas, who was lynched in June 1919 after being accused of making “indecent advances” toward a white woman. His murder was one of the many acts of racial violence that erupted during Red Summer, a period of deadly race riots and lynchings across the United States following World War I. The events surrounding Walters’ death led to the Longview Race Riot, during which white mobs burned Black homes and businesses, prompting Texas authorities to declare martial law and deploy the National Guard.
The Lynching of Lemuel Walters
In June 1919, Walters was accused of improper behavior toward a white woman, whose name was not publicly recorded in official accounts. Some sources claimed he was found in her bedroom, while others suggested the accusation was a fabrication meant to justify violence against him. Under the strict racial codes of the Jim Crow South, even the suggestion of a Black man engaging in a relationship with a white woman—whether real or imagined—was enough to provoke white mob violence.
After the accusation, Walters was captured and brutally whipped by two white men from Kilgore, Texas, who were reportedly the woman’s brothers. He was then arrested and placed in the Longview jail. However, on June 17, a group of about ten white men abducted him from custody, took him to a remote location, and shot him to death. His body was left near the railroad tracks, sending a clear message of white dominance and terror to the Black community.
The lynching of Walters might have been forgotten outside of Longview if not for The Chicago Defender, a Black newspaper that regularly reported on racial violence in the South. On July 5, 1919, the paper published an article about Walters’ death, stating that “Walters’ only crime was that he was loved by a white woman.” The article even quoted the unnamed woman, who allegedly said she “would have married him if they had lived in the North.” The report also criticized local authorities for allowing Walters to be lynched without resistance.
This article infuriated the white residents of Longview, who saw it as an attack on the reputation of the white woman and an incitement to racial tension. Many blamed Samuel L. Jones, a Black schoolteacher and reporter for the Chicago Defender in Longview, for writing the article. Although Jones denied authorship, he became a marked man.
On July 10, 1919, the woman’s brothers confronted Jones in broad daylight, beating him severely across from the courthouse. Jones was rescued by Dr. Calvin P. Davis, a Black physician, who took him to his office for medical treatment. The attack on Jones, combined with the ongoing anger over the Defender article, caused tensions to boil over.
That night, rumors spread that Jones was in danger of being lynched. Black residents, fearing another mob attack, armed themselves to protect Jones. Around midnight, a group of white men arrived at Jones’ house, only to be met with gunfire from armed Black defenders. A shootout ensued, wounding several white men and escalating the conflict into a full-scale racial battle.
Over the next two days, white mobs retaliated by burning Black homes and businesses. They targeted Jones, Dr. Davis, and other prominent Black residents. The violence resulted in multiple injuries and at least one additional Black death—that of 60-year-old Marion Bush, who was shot by white men while attempting to flee. The destruction was widespread, with the homes of Black professionals and community leaders set ablaze.
Fearing that the violence would spiral further, local authorities requested help from Texas Governor William P. Hobby. Initially, only a few Texas Rangers were sent to Longview, but as the situation worsened, the Texas National Guard was deployed. Martial law was declared in Gregg County on July 13, 1919, placing the town under military occupation. Residents—both Black and white—were ordered to surrender their firearms, and curfews were imposed to restore order.
Despite the arrests of both Black and white residents involved in the violence, none of the white perpetrators were ever tried for the lynching of Walters or the destruction of Black property. The legal system, dominated by white officials, ensured that no justice was served. Meanwhile, Black leaders such as Dr. Davis and Samuel Jones fled Longview, fearing further violence. They eventually settled in Chicago, where they continued to report on racial injustices.
Lemuel Walters’ fate was not unique. Just weeks later, on June 26, 1919, John Hartfield was lynched in Ellisville, Mississippi, for the supposed crime of being romantically involved with a white woman named Ruth Meeks. Hartfield was hunted down, shot, and then hanged before an audience of thousands of white spectators. His body was later burned, and white residents even took pieces of his corpse as souvenirs. The local newspaper in Ellisville published a chilling announcement of the lynching in advance, as if it were a scheduled public event.
The similarity between the cases of Walters and Hartfield highlights the deadly consequences Black men faced for perceived violations of the South’s rigid racial boundaries. Even the mere rumor of a consensual relationship with a white woman could lead to a violent and public execution.
Sources:
July 10, 1919: Beating of Samuel L. Jones and the Longview Riot
https://www.news-journal.com/news/local/race-riot-of-1919-researchers-shed-light-on-dark-period-in-longview-history/article_abc4e6b4-9dac-11e9-85af-03577eead72b.html
https://www.tshaonline.org/texas-day-by-day/entry/147
