Chatham’s Black History

This month marks the 100th anniversary of an event that is part of what has been called Chatham’s “hidden history” — a part of our history that we would rather not acknowledge. That event was the last recorded lynching in Chatham County. On Sunday morning, September 18, 1921, Eugene Daniel (or Daniels) was taken from jail in Pittsboro and murdered by a mob of Chatham County men for a crime he was alleged to have committed the prior Friday night. It’s tempting to speculate that the telephone may have enabled the mob to assemble so quickly. A similar mob, reported to have come from a wide area, had rapidly assembled a few weeks prior in a thwarted attempt to lynch an accused murderer. That prisoner had been removed to Raleigh for safety. It may be that a general lust for “lynch law” found in Daniel an easy replacement.
The crime that sixteen-year-old Daniel stood accused of was entering an occupied dwelling at night. It was surmised that he intended to harm a young white woman who lived there. Subsequently, some have speculated that perhaps, if indeed Daniel was in the house as accused, he was seeking the family’s Black maid. Because justice was subverted by the mob, which brutally murdered Daniels before any evidence was collected or he got to tell his side of the story, we will never know the truth of what happened on the night of the accused crime. We do know that no one was held accountable for the young man’s murder.
Some people will remember that the Pittsboro jailer, Taylor, was deaf, and, lacking the power of speech, was unable to turn back the mob with the dramatic oral delivery often seen in movies and novels. We can only hope that he tried.
The editorial voice of the Chatham Record was tepid in its disapproval of the event, unlike the torrent of outrage that poured from the editorial pen over the prior Chatham lynching of 1885. The headline for the announcement of the Daniel lynching read, “Daniels Pays Penalty for An Attempted Crime Friday Night.” No “innocent until proven guilty” there. The paper did print (and then mock) a few letters criticizing its downplaying of this disgraceful event.
This horrific event is a part of Chatham County’s history. An ugly part. Though we would like to turn away from its horror, it is important to acknowledge that it did happen. Two events organized by the Community Remembrance Coalition of Chatham County (CRC-C) will remember, honor and memorialize Daniel — and the county’s Black history.
A Remembrance Ceremony will be held at 9 a.m., Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021 at the New Hope Baptist Church, 581 New Hope Church Road, Apex, where Eugene is buried.
A Celebration of Chatham’s Black History will be held from 2-5 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 18 at the Chatham County Agriculture & Conference Center, and via Zoom.
Find more information here: https://www.chathamnewsrecord.com/…/chathams-last…
RSVP required if you plan to attend these events: https://www.crc-c.org Face coverings will be required.
If you would like to learn more, filmmaker Mark Barroso has made a documentary about the Eugene Daniel lynching. It contains hard truths—ugly realities. It calls out some of those implicated in Eugene Daniel’s murder by name. It is not easy to view. Even he notes that “This stuff isn’t for everyone. But when you’re ready, I hope you’ll watch.” You can see it on YouTube through this link: https://youtu.be/2D_T6rv7nHI Barroso describes his motivation for making the documentary in this Chatham News and Record article: https://www.chathamnewsrecord.com/…/filmmakers-new…
Thanks to Doug Berg and Mark Barroso for researching the event.