1884--Charles Dickerson Accused of Theft and Lynched
Item
-
Title
-
1884--Charles Dickerson Accused of Theft and Lynched
-
Date
-
4 May 1884
-
Formatted date
-
1884-05-04
-
Event type
-
Lynching
-
Description
-
Charles Dickerson is the youngest known victim of lynching in Boone County; he was reportedly about 17 at the time of his death, though some records place him closer to 15 years old. In 1880, Charles was living in Crittenden with Alfred and Elizabeth Lewis and is listed as a “boarder” in their home. It’s likely he was the son of Patsy Hall and Jesse Dickerson (sometimes recorded as “Dixon.”)
Charles worked for and lived on the farm of Samuel Hind in southern Boone County. His living space was located in the slave dwelling.
On February 21, 1884, Charles reportedly stole $192 from the room occupied by the elderly father of his employer and left town. He was traced to Louisville, where he had enlisted in the Army, likely as a way to evade capture and start anew. Dickerson was returned to Boone County and placed in the county jail, where he remained for more than a month.
On April 1st, Charles and two other prisoners escaped confinement. Dickerson headed to his old room at the Hind farm to change out of his uniform, which he had been wearing when captured. For another month, Charles and the two unnamed conspirators from the jail roamed the county, breaking into properties and stealing.
Merchants in Walton, fearful of the escaped convicts’ crime spree, were taking turns guarding their stores. On the evening of April 26th, Dickerson’s group broke into a store owned by J.T. Conner and found themselves under fire. The two unnamed thieves escaped, but Dickerson was trapped, hiding behind some boxes in the front of the store. He was armed and returned fire, but he got the worst of the melee.
Charles Dickerson was captured again, this time with a wound to his cheek and a slug in his leg, above the knee. He was again locked in the Burlington jail, this time in shackles. The young prisoner spent the ensuing few days amusing himself by drawing a picture of a figure hanging from a tree on the wall of the jail, perhaps to mock his would-be lynch-party. Sadly, his artwork was prophetic.
Late on Saturday evening, May 3rd, a drunken mob of about a dozen men presented themselves at jailer Samuel Cowen’s door, demanding the keys to the jail. Cowen refused, and the mob procured a sledgehammer to gain entry. The teenager was taken from the jail and hanged from the same tree on Burlington Pike that had been the site of the lynching of Smith Williams, eight years prior. Charles Dickerson’s body was taken to the Potter’s Field and buried the following day, but it was soon discovered that the body was disinterred, presumably by medical students.
Charles Dickerson’s Army enlistment papers read “Died May 3, ’84. Lynched at Burlington, Boone Co., Ky. A recruit.”
-
Participant
-
African American(s): Charles Dickerson
