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Henry Smith (1876-1 February 1893) was an American Negro who was lynched in Paris, Texas. Smith confessed to raping and murdering the three-year-old daughter of a law enforcement officer in revenge for his having been beaten with a baton during an arrest. Smith escaped, but was recaptured after a nationwide manhunt. He was then returned to Paris, where he was turned over to a mob and burned at the stake. ==Background== Henry Smith was a handyman in Paris, Texas. One day in early 1893, Smith was seen acting drunk and disorderly, Deputy Henry Vance was sent to arrest him. Smith resisted and Vance "was forced to use his club" to subdue him. Bystanders heard Smith repeatedly vowing revenge. On Thursday, January 26, 1893, Henry Vance's three-year-old daughter disappeared from the front of the boarding house where her family lived. Witnesses said they saw Smith "picked up little Myrtle Vance ... and ... carry her through the central portion of the city. En route through the city he was asked by several persons what he was doing with the child."〔"ANOTHER NEGRO BURNED; HENRY SMITH DIES AT THE STAKE. DRAWN THROUGH THE STREETS ON A CAR -- TORTURED FOR NEARLY AN HOUR WITH HOT IRONS AND THEN BURNED -- AWFUL VENGEANCE OF A PARIS (TEXAS) MOB" ''New York Times'', February 1, 1893, ()〕 One of the witnesses Smith spoke to was the mayor of Paris.〔"The Facts in the Case of the Horrible Murder of Little Myrtle Vance and the Fearful Expiation at Paris, Texas February 1st, 1893" ''Published by P.L. James'', 1893, ()〕 Smith claimed he was taking her to her mother or to the doctor. Smith returned home Friday morning, and when his wife served him breakfast, she asked him about "that white child." He replied, "I ain't seen no white child, and don't have nothing to do with white folks." Smith left and was not seen again until he was captured in Arkansas. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Henry Smith (lynching victim)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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