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.

Small Town Bank Robbery

One of the more notable gang-related events in Missouri was the June 1933 Kansas City Massacre. Charles "Pretty Boy" Floyd and members of his gang were suspected gunmen along with Vernon Miller. While Floyd gang member Adam Richetti was later convicted of this crime and was the sixth person executed in Missouri's gas chamber, his and Floyd's participation in this crime is debatable. Their involvement in the January 12, 1993 Ash Grove bank robbery is more certain.