There is little extent information about B.F. Carrier, William Effington, L.M King, and John Thomas. This is an unusual research outcome since the four men were white landowners and farmers in Fayette County and Versailles County. Newspaper accounts of the deaths stated that the four men were between the ages of 25 and 40. Research in Ancestry.com and other databases did not reveal information about the men’s families, education, places of birth, or current residences.
Racial Violence in Kentucky listed the killings of Carrier, Effington, King, and Thomas as coincidental deaths in the near-lynching of William Lockett. It appears that the four men were part of the mob seeking to lynch Lockett after he was arrested and convicted of the killing of Geneva Hardman.
According to contemporary reports on February 9 1920, a mob stormed the courthouse in Lexington with ropes in hand, trying to get ahold of William Lockett. Riots and looting of local businesses disrupted the city for several days, and nearly 400 troops from Camp Taylor were ordered to go to Lexington. On February 9, many of the policeman fighting the mob were severely injured. As a result, the police shot into the crowd, killing Carrier, Effington, King, Thomas, and one other unnamed victim. An additional fifteen people were wounded, and one newspaper found that two people died of their wounds at the hospital. After the riot, the Bourbon News reported that the police put the city of Lexington under martial law for one week. There is no information about an official investigation of police conduct regarding the four men’s deaths.
Location of the Lynching
References
- “5 Killed, 20 Wounded, In Lexington Riot When Troops Fire On Mob At Courthouse; Martial Law, With 1,000 Soldiers On Guard,” The Owensboro Messenger, February 10, 1920. Newspapers.com.
- “Five People Killed In Lexington Streets,” Kentucky Advocate, February 9, 1920. Newspapers.com.
- “Soldiers Shoot Members Of Mob,” Richmond Daily Register, February 9, 1920. Newspapers.com.
- “Motion Pictures Of Lexington’s Riot,” The Bourbon News, February 17, 1920. Newspapers.com.
- “Bluegrass Capital Dormant Volcano Following Killing Of Four Members Of Mob,” The News-Democrat, February 10, 1920. Newspapers.com.
- “Five Killed When Rioters Seek To Hang Guilty Black,” Leader-Telegram, February 10, 1920. Newspapers.com.
- “Convict Negro But Mob Would Seek Execution,” The South Bend Tribune, February 9, 1920. Newspapers.com.
- “4 Dead, 15 Wounded At Lexington,” Danville Daily Messenger, February 9, 1920. Newspapers.com.
- “Troops Fire On Mob-Kill 4,” Muskogee Times-Democrat, February 9, 1920. Newspapers.com.
- “Troops Repel A Mob Trying To Get At Prisoner,” The Morning Examiner, February 10, 1920. Newspapers.com.
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Citation
Shakadih, Farris. “B.F. Carrier, B.F.; Effington William; L.M. King; John Thomas,” Documented Biographies. Documenting Racial Violence in Kentucky. January 14, 2023. https://drvk.createuky.net/biographies/b-f-carrier-william-effington-l-m-king-john-thomas/