January 24, 1879 – Black Man (along with two sons) Lynched in Arkansas for Possessing a $50 Bill

On this day in history, a white mob lynched Ben Daniels, a Black man, and two of his sons, for the alleged crimes of robbery, arson, and assault. Earlier in the day, Mr. Daniels had tried to pay for something with a $50 bill. The merchant immediately called the police and had him arrested.

The sheriff took Mr. Daniels’ sons into custody that same day as well. Later that night, before the Danielses could be tried, a mob of white men “overpowered” the sheriff who was supposed to be guarding them and lynched all three men.

According to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas, there had been some disturbances back then involving the crimes, including theft, of which the Black men were later accused. The only evidence tying Mr. Daniels to the crimes was his possession of a $50 bill.


Police later claimed that, while in custody on the day of his arrest, Mr. Daniels confessed to the crimes and implicated his sons as well. But as the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) maintains:

During the era of racial terror, Black suspects were often subjected to beatings, torture, and threats of lynching during police interrogations. While news reports often reported these alleged confessions as justifications for the brutal terror lynchings that followed, the confession of a lynching victim was always more reliable evidence of fear than guilt.”


EJI reports further:

After hanging the Daniels men from a tree, the white mob left their bodies on display as a way to further terrorize the Black community of Clark County, Arkansas. Between 1865 and 1950, more than 6,500 Black women, men, and children were killed in racial terror lynchings throughout the U.S., with at least 492 reported lynchings in Arkansas alone.”

From the Arkansas Gazette, January 31, 1879