Freestone County, Texas
History & News of 1922
Lynchings



Riverside Enterprise (Riverside, CA), 3 June 1922, front page

NEGROES ARE TARGET OF WHITE MOB. 

HOUSES OF BLACKS IN A TEXAS VILLAGE TO BE BURNED AND THE OCCUPANTS SHOT AS THEY 
FLEE 
BY ASSOCIATED PRESS


FORT WORTH, Tex., June 3 — A mob of white persons, estimated at between 750 and 
1000, left Kirvin late last night for Simsboro, four miles south of the latter 
town, determined to burn the residences of the negroes and shoot the occupants 
as they came out their homes, a long distance message to the Fort Worth Record? 
from Kirvin at 1 o'clock this morning. At 1:05 o'clock the mob had not yet reached 
its destination, but was expected to arrive at Simsboro momentarily.

MOB COULD NOT LOCATE THE NEGROES FORT WORTH, Tex, June 2. — Reports of a race 
riot at Kirvin, Texas, today were believed to have been exaggerated here tonight 
when a dispatch said that a mob of negroes, believed to be in hiding at a house 
on the Powell farm south of Kirvin, could not be located. The only casualty, the 
dispatch said, was Leroy Gibson, 19-year-old negro, who was killed when he 
attempted to escape from three deputy sheriffs of Freestone county, after the 
negro had been arrested in connection with. the murder of Miss Eula King at Kirvin 
about six weeks ago. The mobs reported leaving Streetman, Wortham and Corsicana 
were not even organized, the dispatch said. 

DALLAS, Tex., June 2 — Kirvin was quiet at 9:30 o’clock tonight, according to a 
telephone message from that place. Details of the trouble were not known there 
as the officers had not yet returned. It was reported, however, that two negroes 
were dead. 

TWO NEGROES KILLED IS ONE REPORT TEAGUE, Tex., June 2.—Excitement here, at Kirvin 
and in Freestone county, following reports of a threatened race riot late today 
had died down at 11:30 o’clock tonight as far as reports at Teague indicated. 
Two negroes, Allie and Leroy Gibson, are dead as a result of the trouble. They 
were killed when officers arrested Gibson, and were fired on as they left the 
house where he was arrested. Those who fired at the officers fled. Reports 
quickly spread that 60 or 70 negroes heavily armed, had barricaded themselves in 
a house on a farm south of Kirvin. Late tonight the negroes could not be found, 
it was said here. The feeling in Freestone county has been more or less tense for 
several weeks. Following the murder of a 17-year-old school girl, three negroes 
were burned to death, one hanged and another has disappeared.