The Riot of 1871 has the dubious distinction of being called “the bloodiest day Meridian ever saw,” and epitomized the boiling point of post-Civil War racial tensions in the city at the time.
Up to 30 people were killed, some in extraordinarily brutal fashion.
White Democrats and vigilantes — some aligned with the Ku Klux Klan — resented the presence of blacks in
positions of political power. They also despised so-called carpetbaggers and Northern “strangers,” the unflattering terms given to individuals such as Meridian’s white Mayor, William Sturgis, who hailed from Connecticut.
The first slaying was that of Joseph Williams, a black legislator on the county’s board of supervisors, who was reportedly “called out of his house and killed.”
After black legislators Warren Tyler and William Clopton staged a protest rally, the store owned by the Mayor’s brother, Theodore, was set on fire. Although it’s unclear as to exactly who set the fire, it reportedly spread and was not
extinguished until “two-thirds of the
business-houses of Meridian had been destroyed.” Also spreading was a rumor by white Democrats that blacks would burn the entire city.
Mob rule then ensued, with Tyler, Clopton, and black preacher J. Aaron Moore arrested and charged with inciting riot, and a committee appointed to remove Mayor Sturgis from office.
At a hearing two days later at Con Sheehan Hall, gun shots killed white Republican Judge E.L. Bramlette and a black policeman. Tyler jumped from Con Sheehan’s second-floor window, but was chased by a white crowd and then killed two blocks away. The crowd then
reportedly returned to throw Clopton out an upstairs window, and then slashed his throat after he fell to the ground.
Armed angry whites then spread out in a vindictive mob, and “chased down and murdered at least 30 black
Meridians.” Mayor Sturgis, meanwhile, was said to have escaped the city
“under the cloak of night.”
— Sources: “Paths to the Past: An Overview History of Lauderdale County, Mississippi” by Laura Nan Fairley and James T. Dawon, 1988, Lauderdale County Department of Archives and
History, Inc. and www.jimcrowhistory.org Web site.
Local News
The Riot of 1871
- Local News
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Morning update for Wednesday, May 30, 2012
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In memory of those who died
A 21-gun salute is a common part of any Memorial Day program.
But the release of 21 snow white doves representing the peace we enjoy today because of those who have fallen in battle was a rare treat of the Second Annual Memorial Day Program held Monday afternoon at Magnolia Cemetery in Meridian. -
Choctaw Expressions to be showcased
The Mississippi Craft Center will present Choctaw Expressions as the featured cultural and historical exhibit for the month of June.
The presentation will showcase the rich and unique heritage of the Mississippi Choctaw Indians with traditional cultural arts and artifacts. The exhibition is set to open to the public on Friday, June 1 at 10 a.m. The Mississippi Craft Center, located in Ridgeland, is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with free admission and will highlight this unique event through June 30. -
Earth’s Bounty Festival Saturday
Residents in the Meridian area will have the opportunity to purchase locally grown or made products throughout the summer and fall through the Earth’s Bounty festival.
The expanded version of the current farmer's market will take place on the first Saturday of every month from June-November at Singing Brakeman Park in Meridian near Union Station. -
WWI soldier’s family receives Purple Heart
About three weeks before the end of WW I, two young officers with the 320 Machine Gun Battalion crept through the battered moonscape of France on a mission to find new positions for their weapons.
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Man dies of gunshot wound
Investigators with the Lauderdale County Sheriff's Department are investigating a shooting incident that occurred Saturday morning in which one person died.
- Marriages & Divorces: Sunday, May 27, 2012
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Leading Edges uses technology to enhance advertising
If local advertising agency Leading Edges has its way, pretty soon you will be using your iPhone or iPad to bring its clients' ads to life.
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Meridian soldier to receive posthumous Purple Heart
- Partnership in place for safety blitz
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