Armwood, a 28-year-old black farmhand cast as "dim-witted" and harmless, was snatched from his Princess Anne jail cell by a white mob, lynched and burned in the heart of town. He had admitted snatching the purse of a 72-year-old white woman and was in jail awaiting trial. Now, African-Americans who can recall a black community powerless and quiet after the 1933 hanging that went unpunished want the Armwood name etched into local black history.
Backinberlin Said......
"The woman this animal attacked was my wife's great-grandmother. This animal pulled her in the woods and brutally raped, beat, and bit chunks out of her breasts. Mrs. Denston died 2 days later from pneumonia after he left her for dead, lying in the woods. She was 72 years old. Her son, a Pennsylvania State Trooper, came down here and formed the lynch mob. The Daily Times is very irresponsible for printing this story in this manner. To make this animal a victim is shameless. He deserved what he got."
The Daily Times wrote THIS ARTICLE today and from the looks of the comments, people aren't too happy about it.
They went on to say, "For the museum discussion, Dennis invited Armwood's distant relatives, history buffs and community members who were alive at the time to recall his life and suggest ways to preserve his name."
I guess the Daily Times will do anything to sell a paper any more. This was a tragic event either way but it's not being told as such, not by them anyway. And people go ragging on us, (Mayor Tilghman) for being a nasty Blog! Their reporting today is now more like, he said, she said.
GO HERE to see the story from TIME.
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
27 comments:
I gotta call out the relative on this one. You don't really know that this guy killed your wife's great grandmother, because he never got the right to a fair trial. If you are going to try to tell me that no African Americans were lynched based on nothing but rumor and circumstantial evidence, then you don't know your history or are in huge denial. The Eastern Shore has a sad history of lynchings, including some of the last ones to ever take place. read the book referenced in the article, or Joseph Moore's on lynchings here.
When are we going to start the Hispanic Museum, the Jose memorial museum? Put it right next to Cracks Dealers are Us coming to a neighborhood near you...
The point is the way Armwood is portrayed as a victim in this article. He was identified by her before she died. In my opinion he got a fair trial. If you are trying to tell me that no blacks were guilty of this kind of crime then YOU don't know your history. White men were guilty of this type of crime also. This isn't black and white to me. This is about a criminal getting what he deserved, in a matter accepted at that time in history.
History is history. Dont' try to make it fit your agenda. There are plenty of well respected blacks that deserve the recognition that you are giving to this criminal.
Wait a minute, Joe. Are you supporting the relative who condones the lynching?
I have no idea what Armwood did or didn't do, but lynching him was wrong. He should have had a trial. It very troubling that you appear to support a PA State Trooper, an individual sworn to uphold the law, allegedly leading the lynch mob.
The way your post is written (condemning the Times and supporting the relative who seems to be justifying the PA State Trooper's actions) appears to be very inconsistent with your stance on racism. I don't think you intended it to come across that way. Please clarify.
Anybody that has ever had the misfortune of being around Ms. Cooper-Dennis knows a thing or two about dim-witted.
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,754011,00.html
OK, folks lets move on from the continuing discussion about the lack of justice for ALL races back in the day.
There were many of ALL races that were mistreated and who received injustices, even to include a death sentence.
Why, in God's name, the Daily Disappointment would print such a story, true or false, so long after it occurred is know only to the Bassettman and his minions.
When was the last time the Daily Disappointment printed a story about the injustices experienced by the Native American Indians. How about the hell the Irish immigrants went through as indentured servants and on and on.
Listen 7:49
Why is it that you must make this a issue about race? It wouldn't matter to me what color this animal was. If this happened to your mother how would you feel? Remember this was 1933, and things were handled differently back then. I in no way am saying this is how things should be handled today, don't put words in my mouth. My point is, again, DON'T GLORIFY WHAT THIS ANIMAL DID TO A HELPLESS, ELDERLY WOMAN!
I will tell you what I don't appreciate is the comments by "Soul Prisoner" regarding this on the DT website. This person is the epitomy of racism.
Here is what was said:
Soul Prisoner said
and every since that event back in 1933, as part of white folk making up for this wrong thang. Every black man in Wicomico County be having about 6 to 8 white womens as they mistress. I done made a bunch of white womens leave they husbands, because of some chocolate delight.
Then went on to say:
"Just so you know the modern day truth. Black men dont needs to rape white womens no mo' White womens be raping us black men."
Now it is getting real good, just read the following:
"SoulPrisoner ,
I don't know where to start. First of all, I can't tell you just how many of our white young women I see getting their lives screwed up with people like you. I see them driving you around in their cars, while you are all layed back in the passenger seat, I see them pregnant with your children with you nowhere to be seen, I see them at the doctors offices with your child, where are you? Working? Yeah right. I see them once they realized how stupid they must have been to be caught up in some fad, and thought they were being cool, only to find out that they now have a child with a deadbeat person who will never man up to be a father, or be a productive member of society. Instead of part of the solution, you are the problem. Not to worry though, before long, some of our "lost" white girls will realize what losers you are and that fad will go away. And where will you be? Gang bangin, and milkin' the system. You will get yours one day, and will be just another statistic.
Thats Reality"
He got what he deserved!!! He doesn't deserve to be reconized! as backinberlin stated There are plenty of well respected blacks that deserve the recognition that you are giving to this criminal.
If someone ever did that to my daughter , and I got the chance to get my hands on him I'd do the same thing..no matter what the race! RIP Mrs. Mary Denston!!
Ms. Cooper Dennis is very old.
Wasn't her husband one of those murdered in the Liberia govt. overthrow around 1980?
who is Ms. Cooper-Dennis?
Armwood was an animal not a victim. He should have suffered like he made his victim suffer.
I read the time magazine articles and the good ole boys in Princess Anne at the time did a good job covering up this murder/lynching of Armwood. When asked the Sherriff said he was at the scene and he didnt recognize a soul . they must be from Virginia.Somerset Co. hasnt changed that much.
Well; THERE you go.
This whole discussion is a waste of everyone's time.
I think we all know that all of America herself -- not just the Shore -- was a very, very racist place 100 years ago, and there's no chance anyone with black skin received what we'd call a "fair trial."
Well he was accused of a crime, not found guilty, but back in 1933 being accused of a crime for a black person meant you were guilty, especially by a white woman accusing a black man. Now if he did do what she said he did, had a fair trial and was found guilty.... hang his a$$ whether he was black or white. As for her son a PA State trooper starting a lynch mob just goes to show how much Law Enforcement was corrupt back then. Just imagine if it was your mother he did it to.
Read the Time Article.
By all accounts this man was a no good thug. Only his mother would have defended him, perhaps.
Lynching was wrong. But this happened many years ago. And the evidence is he confessed and he almost assuredly would have been convicted.
The Daily Times article just happened. Blacks are damaged when Black thugs are made out to be heroes in a museum. It cast huge doubts on every display in the museum. It is like they are so desperate to find a hung hero they manufacture one out of whole cloth.
How is this supposed to help. Is the message rape old women and become a hero in 50 years?
It's hard to believe that in this day and age, people here would actually support openly the felonious crime of lynching.
Where's the shame?
And BTW.. Back in 1933, if a black man was found innocent by an all white jury... Then he probably really was innocent!!
hang em high
Like Paul Harvey says , now you
heard the rest of the story.
Amazing. Some of you seem to be supporting lynching, because somehow the guy deserved it. Well, you all need to go somewhere else. We are a nation of laws. The people who murdered Armwood are just as bad as he may or may not have been (see, we'll never know, because they did not let us have a trial).
history is full of groups of people who have exploited the weaker, less intelligent for their profit and pleasure. blacks are not the only group to have experienced this. you cant keep crying about injustices that where "maybe" commited against your people. there is no one alive from this era to hold accountable. what im saying is...get over it.
Well said 8:31
Well, it is definitley history. So, go ahead and make it history, put it in a museum. I see no problem with this. BUT, just make sure that it is inscribed exactly what was done to this defenseless 72 year old lady. I believe a family member already told the gory details. Go ahead, make my day, and make him history.
Lynching museum? Sunds kind of gruesome to me.
4:00pm. It wasn't my idea, but, I agree with you.
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