Last Missouri Lynching

On January 25, 1942 the last racial lynching in Missouri occurred in Sikeston. Around 1:30am someone forced their way into a house occupied by 2 women whose husbands were serving in World War II. One woman was stabbed during the crime.

Thirty minutes later, Cleo Wright, a 25-year old black man, was arrested nearby with bloodstained clothes. On the way to jail Wright pulled a knife from his boot and stabbed the night marshal. Wright was then shot four times by the lawman. After being treated at the hospital, Wright was taken to the city jail.

That morning, the angry mob of 400-500 citizens forced their way into the jail. Wright was dragged out of the jail and down the courthouse steps by his feet. His was then tied to a car by his legs and dragged through the town. He was eventually set on fire and his charred remains laid in the street for 3 hours.

Source

• Sam Blackwell, “Sikeston's history as rich as its swamp-turned-farmland,” Southeast Missourian, November 11, 2001, accessed January 23, 2011, http://www.semissourian.com/story/50133.html.