Van Buren County Lynching of 1894

In early February 1894, three white men—Robert Plunkett, Charles Plunkett, and Henry Bruce—were lynched in Van Buren County for allegedly attacking and robbing an unidentified elderly couple.

While no specific date is given in any of the reports, the lynching had to have happened before February 10, when the first accounts were published. Citing “meager details,” accounts indicate only that the lynching happened in what was known as “the Gulch,” and that the men’s alleged crime had “aroused great indignation” in the neighborhood.

For additional information:
“A Lynching.” Arkansas Gazette, February 10, 1894, p. 2.

“Three Men Lynched. Indianapolis Journal, February 10, 1894, p. 3.

“A Triple Lynching.” Forrest City Times, February 16, 1894, p. 8.

Nancy Snell Griffith
Davidson, North Carolina