There is little extent biographical information on Jackson Williams. The name “Jack Williams” and “Jackson Williams” were common, with over 40 distinct Jack Williams recorded in the census during the late 1800s. Yet, data from contemporary accounts found that that Jackson Williams was a white man who had two brothers, Thomas and an unnamed brother. The newspaper articles referred to Jackson as “Jack” Williams.
The same account of the crime Williams allegedly committed was reprinted in over 100 newspapers across the United States. In this account, in late July 1897 Viney Bays, a young, white, deaf and mute woman, was allegedly sexually assaulted in Barbourville, Kentucky. Jack and Tom Williams were implicated in the assault. Both men fled into the mountain area. A lynch mob quickly. The mob found Jack Williams and killed him on August 5, 1897.
At this point the newspaper accounts differ on the fate of Tom Williams. Most of the newspaper reported that the mob also captured Tom Williams. However, the Owensboro Twice-A-Weekly Messenger reported that Tom Williams escaped to Tennessee with Viney Bays and married her there. The newspaper also stated that Tom Williams was “brought to Barbourville” but it did not state who brought him there or how. The newspaper article did not follow up on Tom Williams after his capture.
Location of the Lynching
References
- “Mob Law. Threatened in the Case of the Williams Trio in Knox County,” The Courier-Journal, August 7, 1897. Newspapers.com.
- “A Vile Pair,” Los Angeles Herald, August 7, 1897. Newspapers.com.
- “Kentucky Justice. One Man Lynched and His Brother Made to Marry Their Victim,” The New York Times, August 7, 1897. Newspapers.com.
- “Indignant Kentuckians. Avenge a Wrong Against a Mute-Another Bee May Follow,” The Age-Herald, August 7, 1897. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers, Library of Congress.
- “Mob’s Quick Work. Jack Williams, Who Helps a Brother to Assault Girl, is Lynched,” The Twice-A-Week Messenger, August 11, 1897. Newspapers.com.
- “Lynching In Kentucky. Mob Hangs One White Outrager and Menaces Another,” The Valentine Democrat, August 12, 1897. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers, Library of Congress.
- “A Kentucky Brute Lynched,” The Times Leader, August 7, 1897. Newspapers.com.
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Citation
Alfaya, Martin. “Jackson “Jack” Williams.” Documented Biographies. Documenting Racial Violence in Kentucky. January 3, 2023. https://drvk.createuky.net/biographies/jackson-jack-williams/