Evansville race riot: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|1903 riot in Evansville, Indiana}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2026}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2026}}
{{Infobox civil conflict
{{Infobox civil conflict
| title           = Evansville Race Riot
| title = Evansville race riot
| subtitle         =  
| subtitle =  
| partof           =  
| partof =  
| image           = Former Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Residence.jpg
| image = Former Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Residence.jpg
| image_size       = 200px
| image_size = 200px
| caption         = The old Vanderburgh County jail, the site where the riot began
| caption = The old jail at the [[Former Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Residence]], the site where the riot began
| date             = July 6 - 10, 1903
| date = July 5 – 6, 1903
| place           = [[Evansville, Indiana]]
| place = [[Evansville, Indiana]]
| coordinates     = {{coord|37|58|24.4|N|87|34|22.8|W|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates = {{coord|37|58|24.4|N|87|34|22.8|W|display=inline,title}}
| causes           = Lack of appropriate crowd control by militia / killing of a white policeman by a black man.
| causes = Lack of appropriate crowd control by militia / killing of a white policeman by a black man.
| goals           =  
| goals =  
| methods         = Attempted [[lynching]], [[riot]]ing, [[looting]], [[shootout]]
| methods = Attempted [[lynching]], [[riot]]ing, [[looting]], [[shootout]]
| status           =  
| status =  
| result           =  
| result =  
| side1           = White rioters
| side1 = White rioters
| side2           = [[Indiana National Guard]] <br/> Evansville Police Department <br/> Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Department
| side2 = [[Indiana National Guard]] <br/> Evansville Police Department <br/> Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Department
----
----
Black residents
Black residents
| side3           =  
| side3 =  
| leadfigures1     =  
| leadfigures1 =  
| leadfigures2     =  
| leadfigures2 =  
| leadfigures3     =  
| leadfigures3 =  
| howmany1         = 1,000+
| howmany1 = 1,000+
| howmany2         = 200 initially
| howmany2 = 200 initially
| howmany3         =  
| howmany3 =  
| casualties1     =  
| casualties1 =  
| casualties2     =  
| casualties2 =  
| casualties3     =  
| casualties3 =  
| fatalities       = 12
| fatalities = 12
| injuries         = 40+
| injuries = 40+
| arrests         =  
| arrests =  
| detentions       =  
| detentions =  
| charged         =  
| charged =  
| fined           =  
| fined =  
| casualties_label =  
| casualties_label =  
| notes           =  
| notes =  
| sidebox         =  
| sidebox =  
| map_type         = Indiana
| map_type = Indiana
}}
}}


The '''Evansville Race Riot''' occurred in July 1903 in [[Evansville, Indiana]] and was the worst riot in the city's history. The riots occurred after a black man shot and killed a white policeman and ultimately resulted in 12 deaths.<ref name="eliving">{{cite web |title=Race Riot of 1903 |url=http://www.evansvilleliving.com/articles/race-riot-of-1903 |website=evansvilleliving.com |date=10 July 2014 |publisher=Evansville Living |accessdate=April 2, 2019}}</ref><ref name="race war">{{cite news |title=RACE WAR RAGING IN EVANSVILLE |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SFC19030706.2.4&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------1 |accessdate=April 2, 2019 |publisher=[[San Francisco Call]] |date=July 6, 1903}}</ref><ref name="shame">{{cite web|last1=Clark|first1=Justin|title="THE CITY'S CROWN OF SHAME": THE EVANSVILLE RACE RIOT|url=https://blog.newspapers.library.in.gov/evansville-race-riots/|url-status=live|website=[[Indiana State Library]]|date=6 July 2017 |publisher=State of Indiana|accessdate=April 2, 2019}}</ref>
The '''Evansville Race Riot''' occurred in July 1903 in [[Evansville, Indiana]] and was the worst riot in the city's history. The riots occurred after a black man shot and killed a white policeman and ultimately resulted in 12 deaths.<ref name="eliving">{{cite web |title=Race Riot of 1903 |url=http://www.evansvilleliving.com/articles/race-riot-of-1903 |website=evansvilleliving.com |date=10 July 2014 |publisher=Evansville Living |accessdate=April 2, 2019}}</ref><ref name="race war">{{cite news |title=RACE WAR RAGING IN EVANSVILLE |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SFC19030706.2.4&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------1 |accessdate=April 2, 2019 |publisher=[[San Francisco Call]] |date=July 6, 1903}}</ref><ref name="shame">{{cite web|last1=Clark|first1=Justin|title="THE CITY'S CROWN OF SHAME": THE EVANSVILLE RACE RIOT|url=https://blog.newspapers.library.in.gov/evansville-race-riots/|website=[[Indiana State Library]]|date=6 July 2017 |publisher=State of Indiana|accessdate=April 2, 2019}}</ref>


On July 3, an African-American man named Lee Brown, aka Robert Lee, had a dispute with another African-American man, Tom Berry, at a bar and attempted to return to the bar with a gun but was stopped by Louis N. Massey, the most senior policeman on the force. Massey attempted to arrest Brown but Brown shot and fatally wounded Massey, however Massey was able to fire back before dying, wounding Brown who eventually succumbed to injuries as well on July 31.<ref name="eliving" /><ref name="shame" /> A mob of several thousand citizens (mostly all white) formed outside the [[Old Vanderburgh County Jail|Vanderburgh County Jail]] on July 6 and attempted to storm the jail with the intention of lynching Brown and 16 other black inmates. Around 200 militiamen then opened fire on the mob, killing and injuring several rioters. The crowd then began looting hardware stores of weapons and stormed into black neighborhoods in an attempt to expel black people from Evansville.<ref name="eliving" /><ref name="race war" /><ref name="shame" /><ref name="seven killed">{{cite news |title=SEVEN KILLED IN EVANSVILLE RIOT |url=https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045366/1903-07-07/ed-1/seq-1/#date1=07%2F06%2F1903&index=8&rows=20&searchType=advanced&language=&sequence=0&words=EVANSVILLE+RIOT&proxdistance=5&date2=07%2F31%2F1903&ortext=&proxtext=&phrasetext=Evansville+Riot&andtext=&dateFilterType=range&page=1 |accessdate=April 2, 2019 |publisher=The Minneapolis Journal |date=July 7, 1903}}</ref> The rioting continued until July 10 and a total of 12 people died during the riot, with more than 40 others seriously wounded and about 2,000 of Evansville's 8,000 black residents fleeing the city.<ref>{{Cite web|date=July 8, 1903|title=Anti-negro riots in the United States|url=https://www.theguardian.com/century/1899-1909/Story/0,,126353,00.html|url-status=live|access-date=2022-01-11|website=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref><ref name="eliving" /><ref name="seven killed" />
On July 3, a 33-year-old black man named John Tinsley, had a dispute with a black bartender, Tom Berry, over Tinsley's refusal to pay for a beer. Brown attempted to return to the bar with a gun but was stopped by Louis N. Massey, the most senior policeman on the force.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Webb |first=Jon |date=2024-02-20 |title=Black History Month: 1903 riot and attempted lynching left 12 dead in Evansville |url=https://www.courierpress.com/story/news/local/2024/02/20/black-history-month-1903-evansville-riot-left-12-dead/72626479007/ |access-date=2025-12-08 |website=Courier & Press |language=en-US}}</ref> Massey attempted to arrest Tinsley, but Tinsley shot and fatally wounded Massey. However, Massey was able to fire back before dying, wounding Tinsley, who eventually also succumbed to injuries on July 31.<ref name="eliving" /><ref name="shame" />
It is unclear as to whether the mob or the militia were to blame for the deaths. Several accounts describe the escalation as coming to a head after a rock was thrown by someone in the crowd, at the militia, who in turn fired warning shots which caused chaos.<ref name="The Librrary of Congress">{{cite news |title=THE CITY'S CROWN OF SHAME |url=https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn82015679/1903-07-08/ed-1/seq-1/#date1=1903&sort=relevance&rows=20&words=EVANSVILLE+Journal&searchType=basic&sequence=0&index=14&state=Indiana&date2=1903&proxtext=evansville+journal&y=6&x=10&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1 |accessdate=January 18, 2020 |publisher=The Indianapolis Journal |date=July 8, 1903}}</ref>
 
Tinsley was using the name "Lee Brown" and also known as "Robert Lee," but was recognized as a man who had previously served a sentence at the [[Indiana State Prison]]. He was imprisoned there from 1896 to 1901 on a conviction for assault with intent to kill.<ref name=":0" />
Excerpt - "Two more deaths added to the list. Frank Lamble and Charles Taylor pass away last night - first funeral held today. Two more deaths were added to the list of fatalities resulting from the shooting of Monday night, last evening Frank Lamble and Charles Taylor, passing away from the effect of the wounds received. This makes a total of nine deaths so far, and the list will most likely swell to ten. FRANK LAMBLE - The death of Lamble took place last evening about 5 o'clock at the Gilbert Sanitarium where he had been since the shooting. His death was caused by the bullet wound which struck him in the chin and ranged downward... He was unconscious from the first and never recovered sufficiently to talk of the occurrence or to give any information of how he was shot...."<ref name="Geneaology Bank">{{cite news |title=TWO MORE DEATHS ADDED TO THE LIST |url=https://www.genealogybank.com/doc/newspapers/image/v2%3A1425EEF26DF1B8D5%40GB3NEWS-14572C44B5FC95C9%402416304-145414E5D3D10098%400-145414E5D3D10098%40?h=4&fname=Frank&lname=Lambie&fullname=&rgfromDate=&rgtoDate=&formDate=&formDateFlex=exact&dateType=range&kwinc=&kwexc= |accessdate=January 18, 2020 |publisher=The Evansville Journal-News |date=July 8, 1903}}</ref>
 
Armed with axes, guns, and a battering ram, a mob of 150 formed on the following day to lynch Tinsley, unaware that Sheriff Chris Kratz had already snuck him out to [[Vincennes, Indiana|Vincennes]]. A larger mob threatened the jail again the next day. Despite being told that Tinsley was not there, the mob continued to besiege the jail. When a group of 20 to 30 armed black men marched towards the jail, the mob attacked black people, homes, and businesses. The next day, Governor [[Winfield T. Durbin]] deployed Evansville's company of the [[Indiana National Guard]] to protect the jail.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Vice and Violence |url=https://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=5848 |website=H-Net Reviews}}</ref>
 
A mob of several thousand white people formed outside the [[Old Vanderburgh County Jail|Vanderburgh County Jail]] on July 6 and attempted to storm the jail. Those guarding the jail opened fire on the mob, killing and injuring several rioters. The crowd then began looting hardware stores of weapons and stormed into black neighborhoods in an attempt to expel black people from Evansville.<ref name="eliving" /><ref name="race war" /><ref name="shame" /><ref name="seven killed">{{cite news |title=SEVEN KILLED IN EVANSVILLE RIOT |url=https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045366/1903-07-07/ed-1/seq-1/#date1=07%2F06%2F1903&index=8&rows=20&searchType=advanced&language=&sequence=0&words=EVANSVILLE+RIOT&proxdistance=5&date2=07%2F31%2F1903&ortext=&proxtext=&phrasetext=Evansville+Riot&andtext=&dateFilterType=range&page=1 |accessdate=April 2, 2019 |publisher=The Minneapolis Journal |date=July 7, 1903}}</ref> The rioting continued until July 10 and a total of 13 people died during the riot, with more than 40 others seriously wounded and about 2,000 of Evansville's 8,000 black residents fleeing the city.<ref>{{Cite web|date=July 8, 1903|title=Anti-negro riots in the United States|url=https://www.theguardian.com/century/1899-1909/Story/0,,126353,00.html|access-date=2022-01-11|website=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref><ref name="eliving" /><ref name="seven killed" /> Several accounts describe the escalation as coming to a head after a rock was thrown by someone in the crowd, at the militia, who in turn fired warning shots which caused chaos.<ref name="The Librrary of Congress">{{cite news |title=THE CITY'S CROWN OF SHAME |url=https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn82015679/1903-07-08/ed-1/seq-1/#date1=1903&sort=relevance&rows=20&words=EVANSVILLE+Journal&searchType=basic&sequence=0&index=14&state=Indiana&date2=1903&proxtext=evansville+journal&y=6&x=10&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1 |accessdate=January 18, 2020 |publisher=The Indianapolis Journal |date=July 8, 1903}}</ref>


The people killed during the riot were:<ref name="shame" />{{Dead link|date=January 2022}}<ref name="seven killed" />
The people killed during the riot were:<ref name="shame" />{{Dead link|date=January 2022}}<ref name="seven killed" />
{{div col|colwidth=28em}}
{{div col|colwidth=28em}}
*Edward Schiffman, 28, painter
*Edward Schiffman, 28, painter
Line 54: Line 61:
*Ed Ruhl, 23, laborer
*Ed Ruhl, 23, laborer
*Joseph Tech "Peck", middle-aged
*Joseph Tech "Peck", middle-aged
*Robert W. Bock, 24, (Originally thought to be H.E.Johnson)
*Robert W. Bock, 24, (Originally thought to be H.E. Johnson)
*Fred Kappler, 15
*Fred Kappler, 18
*Frank Lamble, 23, stove molder  
*Frank Lamble, 23, stove molder  
*John Barnett, 20
*John Barnett, 20
Line 61: Line 68:
*Earnest Walters
*Earnest Walters
*Charles Taylor, factory hand
*Charles Taylor, factory hand
*Calvin Hawkins, 26
*Calvin Hawkins, 26{{div col end}}
{{div col end}}


==See also==
==See also==
Line 76: Line 82:
[[Category:1903 riots]]
[[Category:1903 riots]]
[[Category:Riots and civil disorder in Indiana]]
[[Category:Riots and civil disorder in Indiana]]
[[Category:Racially motivated violence against African Americans]]
[[Category:White American riots in the United States]]
[[Category:White American riots in the United States]]
[[Category:July 1903 events]]
[[Category:July 1903 in the United States]]
[[Category:Evansville, Indiana]]
[[Category:Evansville, Indiana]]
[[Category:Killings by law enforcement officers in the United States]]
[[Category:Killings by law enforcement officers in the United States]]
[[Category:History of racism in Indiana]]
[[Category:Racially motivated violence against African Americans in Indiana]]
[[Category:Mass murder in 1903]]
[[Category:1903 mass murders]]
[[Category:Mass murders in Indiana]]
[[Category:1900s mass murders in the United States]]
[[Category:1903 murders in the United States]]
[[Category:Looting in the United States]]
[[Category:Attacks on buildings and structures in Illinois]]
[[Category:Attacks on shops in the United States]]
[[Category:Attacks on buildings and structures in the 1900s]]
[[Category:Attacks on prisons and jails in the United States]]
[[Category:United States military killing of American civilians]]

Latest revision as of 02:01, 13 January 2026


Lua error in Module:Wikidata at line 978: Tried to read nil global data.
The old jail at the Former Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Residence, the site where the riot began
DateJuly 5 – 6, 1903
Location37°58′24.4″N 87°34′22.8″W / 37.973444°N 87.573000°W / 37.973444; -87.573000
Caused byLack of appropriate crowd control by militia / killing of a white policeman by a black man.
MethodsAttempted lynching, rioting, looting, shootout
Parties
White rioters

Indiana National Guard
Evansville Police Department
Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Department

Black residents
Casualties
Death12
Injuries40+
Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 501: Unable to find the specified location map definition: "Module:Location map/data/Indiana" does not exist.

The Evansville Race Riot occurred in July 1903 in Evansville, Indiana and was the worst riot in the city's history. The riots occurred after a black man shot and killed a white policeman and ultimately resulted in 12 deaths.[1][2][3]

On July 3, a 33-year-old black man named John Tinsley, had a dispute with a black bartender, Tom Berry, over Tinsley's refusal to pay for a beer. Brown attempted to return to the bar with a gun but was stopped by Louis N. Massey, the most senior policeman on the force.[4] Massey attempted to arrest Tinsley, but Tinsley shot and fatally wounded Massey. However, Massey was able to fire back before dying, wounding Tinsley, who eventually also succumbed to injuries on July 31.[1][3]

Tinsley was using the name "Lee Brown" and also known as "Robert Lee," but was recognized as a man who had previously served a sentence at the Indiana State Prison. He was imprisoned there from 1896 to 1901 on a conviction for assault with intent to kill.[4]

Armed with axes, guns, and a battering ram, a mob of 150 formed on the following day to lynch Tinsley, unaware that Sheriff Chris Kratz had already snuck him out to Vincennes. A larger mob threatened the jail again the next day. Despite being told that Tinsley was not there, the mob continued to besiege the jail. When a group of 20 to 30 armed black men marched towards the jail, the mob attacked black people, homes, and businesses. The next day, Governor Winfield T. Durbin deployed Evansville's company of the Indiana National Guard to protect the jail.[5]

A mob of several thousand white people formed outside the Vanderburgh County Jail on July 6 and attempted to storm the jail. Those guarding the jail opened fire on the mob, killing and injuring several rioters. The crowd then began looting hardware stores of weapons and stormed into black neighborhoods in an attempt to expel black people from Evansville.[1][2][3][6] The rioting continued until July 10 and a total of 13 people died during the riot, with more than 40 others seriously wounded and about 2,000 of Evansville's 8,000 black residents fleeing the city.[7][1][6] Several accounts describe the escalation as coming to a head after a rock was thrown by someone in the crowd, at the militia, who in turn fired warning shots which caused chaos.[8]

The people killed during the riot were:[3][dead link][6]

  • Edward Schiffman, 28, painter
  • Hazel Allman, 15, killed while driving with her parents
  • August Jordan, 21, musician
  • Ed Ruhl, 23, laborer
  • Joseph Tech "Peck", middle-aged
  • Robert W. Bock, 24, (Originally thought to be H.E. Johnson)
  • Fred Kappler, 18
  • Frank Lamble, 23, stove molder
  • John Barnett, 20
  • John Geil
  • Earnest Walters
  • Charles Taylor, factory hand
  • Calvin Hawkins, 26

See also[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Race Riot of 1903". evansvilleliving.com. Evansville Living. July 10, 2014. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "RACE WAR RAGING IN EVANSVILLE". San Francisco Call. July 6, 1903. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Clark, Justin (July 6, 2017). ""THE CITY'S CROWN OF SHAME": THE EVANSVILLE RACE RIOT". Indiana State Library. State of Indiana. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Webb, Jon (February 20, 2024). "Black History Month: 1903 riot and attempted lynching left 12 dead in Evansville". Courier & Press. Retrieved December 8, 2025.
  5. ↑ "Vice and Violence". H-Net Reviews.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "SEVEN KILLED IN EVANSVILLE RIOT". The Minneapolis Journal. July 7, 1903. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  7. ↑ "Anti-negro riots in the United States". The Guardian. July 8, 1903. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  8. ↑ "THE CITY'S CROWN OF SHAME". The Indianapolis Journal. July 8, 1903. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
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