Killing of Isaac Simmons in Mississippi in 1944

Incident

Case summary

The Rev. Isaac Simmons (1879 - 1944), a farmer, was killed by a group of six men in Amite County, Mississippi. The group sought to take possession of Simmons’ farm, which they believed had oil deposits. When Simmons and his son hired a lawyer to safeguard his farm, the men lynched him. Simmons’ son was severely beaten and threatened out of the county. A criminal trial was held, and Noble Ryder, one of the six white men indicted, was acquitted. It was unclear whether the other five men were convicted or acquitted. An essay on this case, researched and authored by a CRRJ student, is available on request.

Victim(s):

Isaac Simmons


Alleged perpetrators/other named individuals:

John Mark Brown

John Brown

John Roger Dawson

Luke Harper Dawson

Mann Dawson

Joe D. Gordon

Vaughn McKnight

Louis Noble Ryder

Marvel Leon Ryder

Rabbit Spillman

Perpetrator group type: mob

Date of incident: 1944-03-26
Location: Berwick, Amite County, Mississippi
Location type: victim's home
Allegation against victim: refusing to move off his land, which was rumored to have oil deposits

Coroner process
Coroner/inquest: yes
Finding of no legal responsibility: yes

Criminal process
Arrest: yes
Charge/indictment/information: yes
Grand jury: yes
Trial: yes
Conviction: no
Sentence: [ ]

FBI case ID:

New Orleans 44-107

Memphis 44-47

Jackson 44-41

DOJ case ID:

144-41-29


Document(s):
advocacy group resources
census records - closed
correspondence
court records
death certificates
federal agency records
maps
maps - closed
news articles - closed
portraits
scholarly works
state agency records
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