Duckett Township Lynching of 1919
On Wednesday, August 10, 1919, an unknown African American man was killed by an unnamed officer in Duckett Township in northern Howard County after a “thrilling weekend man hunt” across southern Polk and northern Howard counties, where no Black people lived. This man had allegedly committed “an awful crime” against a seven-year-old girl in broad daylight in Sevier County, 3.5 miles southwest of De Queen (Sevier County), and then fled north. He “was the only one of his color in the county he so vainly sought to find cover in, and was shot at and harassed at every turn he made.” His death certificate gave his occupation as “horse theft.” Between 50 and 100 white men chased him in a …
