36. Entire Families Were Killed
In other race riots that occurred during the summer of 1919, African American homes were destroyed, and people were indiscriminately attacked on the streets. But what happened in Elaine exceeded the bounds of what could be called a riot. It was an all-out massacre.
Entire families – men, women, and children – were summarily hunted down and killed by people in the white mobs. The carnage was so severe that there are stories of mob members taking souvenirs – including ears and fingers – from the bodies of the murdered victims. Many of the slain were mutilated, their bodies left to bake on the side of the road.
