The NAACP Demands Protection, 1919

The Governor of the state having admitted today June 26 that he is powerless to afford such protection commenting on the hanging and burning without any process of law of John Hartfield at Ellisville Miss
. . . this is the sixth mob murder in Mississippi since January for which the state of Mississippi has provided no punishment or preventive . . .
The National Assn of the Advancement of Colored People demands the maintenance of federal troops in Mississippi until such time as the State of Mississippi may be able to afford the protection guaranteed United States Citizens under the Constitution

The NAACP Demands Protection 1919

John R. Shillady, secretary of the NAACP, sent this telegram demanding the rights of due process and equal protection guaranteed by the Constitution. He cites the hanging of John Hartfield, who was accused of assaulting a white woman. He was lynched on June 26, 1919 before a crowd of up to 10,000 people. The Governor claimed he was helpless to prevent the crime.

National Archives, Records of the U.S. Senate