Lynching in Macon, Georgia

Lynchings in Georgia were common practice from 1882-1930. In fact, Georgia was ranked number two for the most lynchings during this time period, with a staggering 458 Black American victims. Newspapers from the timeframe researched justified the lynchings as an act of justice, as the victims stood accused of allegedly killing a white person. Burglary, rape, arson, and assault were also frequent justifications for an impromptu lynching. Although these accusations are both extreme and exaggerated with merit, the truth is many Black Americans were only guilty of speaking out against habituated oppressions. If an action, gesture, or statement was deemed offensive to white people, then the party in question was as good as guilty in the eyes of those salivating for a show. 

Much like many other lynchings in Georgia, the killing of John Glover was forged by over 400 unmasked white men who baracaded around the police vehicle shuttling Glover after being found. The mob opened the back door of the police vehicle, pulled him out of the floor of the back seat, and fired off a slew of gunshots. As the mob emptied their shotguns one by one into the body of John Glover, blood stained the ground. The mob left Glover face up in a ditch near the swamp while the mob collaborated to decide what to do with Glover’s remains. 

One account by Manis described the event as follows: “The mob jerked Glover’s remains out of the truck and dumped it in the street, where his clothing was cut to shreds and sold as souvenirs,” Manis wrote. “Later, the nearly nude body was dumped in the foyer of the Douglass Theatre. Someone shouted, ‘Get the gasoline,’ but the police arrived just before the body could be incinerated inside the theater. By that time hundreds of whites had converged on the area and overwhelmed police. Pushing and shoving, many shouted, ‘Burn him!’ or ‘Hang him up.’ Others yelled, ‘Let’s get a look at him.’”

The exact account of the event remains in question, as multiple sources show variances in dialogue. In one account researched, Glover was painted as a lush who came into the pool hall drunk and, waving a gun at innocent bystanders with the intent of soliciting fear from white onlookers. In another description of the events leading up to the lynching, Glover was painted as a respectable man about town who was successful in his endeavors. The story continues he was afraid of the sheriff who was known for his brutality to Black Americans, and when the sheriff walked into the pool hall.Glover felt he was acting in self-defense when he opened fire on the sheriff. 

Regardless of how the events truly unfolded one thing remains; John Glover was not given his rightful day in court, and was instead brutally murdered, paraded about town in celebration, and thrown into a Black owned and operated. This act of cowardice was meant to be a warning to those who dared to speak against the actions of white mobs who sought to own the rights of martial law.

To Prevent and Punish the Crime of Lynching: Hearings Before the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on S. 121, Sixty-Ninth Congress, First Session, on Feb. 16, 1926. United States: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1926.

Tolnay, Stewart and E. Beck. "Lynching." New Georgia Encyclopedia, last modified Aug 12, 2020. https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/history-archaeology/lynching/

"Two Negroes Lynched in Southern States: Georgia Mob Shoots a Slayer to Death-In Arkansas Prisoner is Hanged." The Washington Post (1877-1922), Aug 02, 1922. http://search.proquest.com.ezp-prod1.hul.harvard.edu/historical-newspapers/two-negroes-lynched-southern-states/docview/146005488/se-2.