Killing of Philip Ratcliff in Alabama in 1937

Incident

Case summary

Philip Ratcliff, 65, a tenant farmer, was killed in 1937 by a white farmer and his nephew in Dallas County, Alabama. The killers wanted a pasture that Ratcliff had rented from another white farmer. The owner refused to rent to the white farmer and continued renting to Ratcliff. The rejected farmer and his nephew went to Ratcliff’s house and struck him several times with a hammer. He died nine days later.

Victim(s):

Philip Ratcliff


Date of incident: 1937-05-06
Location: Dallas County, Alabama
Location type: victim's workplace
Allegation against victim: renting land that white men coveted

Coroner process
Coroner/inquest: [ ]
Finding of no legal responsibility: [ ]

Criminal process
Arrest: [ ]
Charge/indictment/information: [ ]
Grand jury: [ ]
Trial: [ ]
Conviction: [ ]
Sentence: [ ]


Document(s):
federal agency records
Data Fields
To learn more about data fields, refer to the data dictionary.
Cite this Page
Refer to how to cite.