This list has been prepared by Professor Michael J. Pfeifer, Faculty Member, American Social History, The Evergreen State College, Olympia, Washington 98505, tel: (360) 867-6009, e-mail: pfeiferm@evergreen.edu,
home page: http://academic.evergreen.edu/p/pfeiferm/home.htmThis list is approximately complete within the dates given. Please cite this website if you use information from it.
In this list of verified victims of lynching (referred to in at least one reliable primary source that I have identified, and if possible two or more independent primary sources; citations for sources are available on request), I use the definition of lynching that experts on mob violence devised at Tuskegee, Alabama in 1940: "there must be legal evidence that a person has been killed, and that he met his death illegally at the hands of a group acting under the pretext of service to justice, race, or tradition," with a group defined as "three" or more persons. For an insightful discussion of the historical problem of definition, see Christopher Waldrep, “Word and Deed: The Language of Lynching, 1820-1953,” in Michael Bellesiles, Lethal Imagination: Violence and Brutality in American History (New York: New York University Press, 1999). I believe that the Tuskegee definition, while historically contingent and imperfect, remains useful to historians of the phenomenon. Its emphasis on the collective, purposeful, ideological, lethal, and unlawful nature of lynching is in fact consistent with the popular usage of the term as well as the actual praxis of violence from the mid nineteenth century through the present day. If more than one victim was lynched in the incident, they are listed separately, although much of the rest of the information will be identical.Incidents are listed by date, name given for victim, county, alleged offense, race or ethnicity, and type of mob (from W. Fitzhugh Brundage's classification scheme in Lynching in the New South: Georgia and Virginia, 1880-1930 (Urbana, Ill.: University of Illinois Press, 1993), 17-48, 291-292. I adapt Brundage's taxonomy with these general guidelines: mass mobs evoked broad participation and approval, were spontaneous and possessed little if any formal organization, and were highly ritualized in practice. Posses were groups of men, sometimes authorized by the sheriff, who searched for fleeing suspects. But these often large crowds occasionally killed the persons they were seeking to apprehend. Posses could legally kill if suspects were armed or resisted arrest. I have categorized collective killings perpetrated by search parties as lynchings only if victims were unarmed or did not attempt to avoid arrest after being located. Two additional categories of mobs drew far less popular support. Private lynchings constituted secretive, small-scale but collective enactments of vengeance, often by relatives and friends of someone allegedly harmed by the mob's victim. Terrorist mobs were long-lasting, well-organized groups that perpetrated extralegal violence, often for economic goals.
A valuable source for California lynchings is Warren Franklin Webb, “A History of Lynching in California Since 1875,” (M.A. thesis, University of California, Berkeley, 1934).
December 22, 1875, Jose Antonio Ygarra, Senel and Hopland, Mendocino County, Murder, Latino, Private
June 10, 1876, Charles W. Henley, Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, Murder, White, Private
May 3, 1877, Francisco Arias, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz County, Murder, Latino, Private
May 3, 1877, Jose Chamalis, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz County, Murder, Latino, Private
July 13, 1877, Justin Arayo, San Juan South, Monterey County, Murderous Assault and Murder, Latino, Private
December 22, 1877, Anthony Maron, Bakersfield, Kern County, Horse Theft, Latino, Private
December 22, 1877, Francisco Ensinas, Bakersfield, Kern County, Horse Theft, Latino, Private
December 22, 1877, Miguel Elias, Bakersfield, Kern County, Horse Theft, Latino, Private
December 22, 1877, Fermin Eldeo, Bakersfield, Kern County, Horse Theft, Latino, Private
December 22, 1877, Bessena Ruiz, Bakersfield, Kern County, Horse Theft, Latino, Private
May 2, 1878, Christian Mutchler, Germantown, Colusa County, Arson, White, Private
May 7, 1878, Modoc Charlie, Walker Valley, Mendocino County, Rape, Indian, Mass
July 3 or 6, 1878, Rufugio Boca, Riverside, San Bernardino County, Murder, Latino, Unknown
May 28, 1879, Thomas Yoakum, Bakersfield, Kern County, Murder, White, Private
May 28, 1879, William Yoakum, Bakersfield, Kern County, Murder, White, Private
September 4, 1879, Elijah Frost, Willits, Mendocino County, Theft, White, Private
September 4, 1879, Bige Gibson, Willits, Mendocino County, Theft, White, Private
September 4, 1879, Tom McCracken, Willits, Mendocino County, Theft, White, Private
January 17, 1881, Joseph Da Roche, Bodie, Mono County, Murder, White, Private
April 5, 1881, Francisco Jimeno, Lompoc, Santa Barbara County, Rape and Murder, Indian and Latino, Mass
August 7, 1881, T. J. Noakes, Oroville, Butte County, Murder, White, Unknown
June 17, 1883, Incarnacion Garcia, Los Gatos, Santa Clara County, Murder or Murderous Assault, Latino, Private
December 30, 1883, William Richardson, Eel River Island, Humboldt County, Rape, White, Private
December 4, 1884, William Pitts, Daggett, San Bernardino County, Murder, White, Unknown
June 10, 1885, James Delaney, Plumas County, Murder, White, Private
August 12, 1885, Henry D. Benner, Eureka, Humboldt County, Murder, White, Mass
January 23, 1886, Holden Dick, Susanville, Lassen County, Murder, Indian, Unknown
January 23, 1886, Vicente Olivas, Susanville, Lassen County, Murder, Latino, Unknown
April 1, 1886, Peter Hemmi, Arroyo Grande, San Luis Obispo County, Murder and Murderous Assault, White, Private
April 1, 1886, James Hemmi, Arroyo Grande, San Luis Obispo County, Murder and Murderous Assault, White, Private
May 5, 1886, George Vuga, Drytown, Amador County, Murder, White, Private
July 11, 1887, Hong Di, Colusa, Colusa County, Murder and Murderous Assault, Chinese, Mass
November 26, 1887, Frank McCutcheon, Oakdale, Stanislaus County, Arson, White, Unknown
May 5, 1888, John Wright, St. Helena, Napa County, Murder, White, Private
April 30, 1890, Tacho, Banning, San Diego County, Horse Stealing, Indian, Private
May 12, 1890, E. L. Chriswell, Santa Marie, Santa Barbara County, Murder, White, Private
June 10, 1891, Ah Quong Tis/Tia/Tai, Bridgeport, Mono County, Murder, Chinese, Mass (by Indians)
July 24, 1892, Charles Ruggles, Redding, Shasta County, Murder and Robbery, White, Private
July 24, 1892, John Ruggles, Redding, Shasta County, Murder and Robbery, White, Private
August 21, 1892, Francisco Torres, Santa Ana, Orange County, Murder, Latino, Private
September 30, 1892, J. W. Smith, Castella, Shasta County, Murder, White, Private
April 7, 1893, Jesus Fuen/Quien, San Bernardino, San Bernardino County, Murder, Latino, Mass
December 12, 1894, William Dean, Fort Jones, Siskiyou County, Murder, Indian, Private
July 26, 1895, Victor Adams, North Fork, Madera County, Murder, White, Private
August 26, 1895, L. H. Johnson, Yreka, Siskiyou County, Murder, White, Private
August 26, 1895, William Null, Yreka, Siskiyou County, Murder, White, Private
August 26, 1895, Luis Moreno, Yreka, Siskiyou County, Murder, Latino, Private
August 26, 1895, Garland Stemler, Yreka, Siskiyou County, Murder, White, Private
September 23, 1895, William Archer, Kernville, Kern County, Murder, Indian, Private
May 31, 1901, Calvin Hall, Lookout, Modoc County, Theft and Burglary, White, Private
May 31, 1901, James Hall, Lookout, Modoc County, Theft and Burglar, "half-breed Indian," Private
May 31 1901, Frank Hall, Lookout, Modoc County, Theft and Burglary, "half-breed Indian," Private
May 31, 1901, Martin Wilson, Lookout, Modoc County, Theft and Burglary, Indian, Private
May 31, 1901, Daniel Yantis, Lookout, Modoc County, Theft and Burglary, Indian, Private
July 9, 1901, Yung Fook (Ah Sing), Mt. Breckenridge, Kern County, Murderous Assault, Chinese, Mass
March 11, 1904, James Cummings, Mojave, Kern County, Rape of Boy, Black, Private
April 15, 1904, B. H. Harrigan, Dunsmuir, Siskiyou County, Rape, White, Mass
April 22, 1908, Joseph Simpson, Skidoo, Inyo County, Murder, White, Private
December 10, 1920, George Boyd, Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, Murder, White, Private
December 10, 1920, Terrence Fitts, Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, Murder, White, Private
December 10, 1920, Charles Valento, Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, Murder, White, Private
November 26, 1933, John M. Holmes, San Jose, Santa Clara County, Kidnapping and Murder, White, Mass
November 26, 1933, Thomas H. Thurmond, San Jose, Santa Clara County, Kidnapping and Murder, White, Mass
August 3, 1935, Clyde Johnson, Yreka, Siskiyou County, Murder, White, Private
January 6, 1947, Unknown, Callahan, Siskiyou County, Cattle Rustling, Black, Private