Dooley Morton, 17, a tenant farmer, was killed in 1935 by a lynch mob in Columbus, Lowndes County, Mississippi. Morton and Bert Moore, 26, a farmer, were charged with attempting to attack a woman. They were being transported to jail by deputy sheriff Parker Harris when a mob seized them. The mob drove them to Columbus and hung them in the yard of Zion Church. According to newspaper accounts, the coroner ruled that they died “at the hands of unknown parties.” Concurrently, Rayfield Sutton, 28, was chased by a 100-person mob for allegedly attacking a girl. Sutton escaped into Arkansas. An essay on this case, researched and authored by a CRRJ student, is available on request. Lavert Moore (1910-1935), a tenant farmer, was killed by a lynch mob in Columbus, Lowndes County, Mississippi. Moore and Chester Morton, age 17, were accused of attempting to attack a white woman. Moore and Morton had been arrested and were in the custody of sheriff Parker Harris when the mob seized them. The mob hung them to a tree outside Zion Church. An essay on this case, researched and authored by a CRRJ student, is available on request.

Lavert Moore

Dooley Morton