The Tragic Lynching of Winston Pounds: A Tale of Injustice in 1927 Arkansas

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On the fateful day of August 25, 1927, near Wilmot in Ashley County, a mob tragically hanged Winston Pounds, a young man accused of breaking into a white man’s house and allegedly assaulting his wife.

Born around 1906, Winston Pounds Jr. was the son of a farmer named Winston Pounds and his wife, Florence Pounds. As history often demonstrates, the accounts of such events are inconsistent, particularly between newspapers owned by white and African-American proprietors.

The mainstream Arkansas Gazette reported that Pounds, labeled a “Negro farmhand,” trespassed into the McGarry residence, assaulted Mrs. McGarry in her sleep, and then ran away when she raised an alarm. Yet, conflicting versions suggest Mr. McGarry was away in Little Rock, and Mrs. McGarry's sister was the one present during the incident.

The subsequent manhunt used bloodhounds that eventually led authorities to Pounds’s residence. Following his arrest and an alleged confession, Sheriff John C. Riley intended to move him to avoid potential mob violence. However, Pounds was abducted by a group of men and hanged from a tree. The mob reportedly left him to die, and his body hung there until late that night. 

An inquest into Pounds's death, led by Justice W.N. Wilhite, concluded ambiguously, claiming he died at the hands of unidentified persons. This, despite the sheriff's absence from the inquest and the glaring lack of effort to seek witnesses or evidence against the mob.

An alternative account from the Indianapolis Recorder, a black weekly newspaper, proposed another narrative. It hinted at a long-standing vendetta between the Pounds and McGarry families. This version portrayed Pounds as a respected young man, and it was implied that his lynching was an act of revenge. Disturbingly, this report also suggested Pounds was brutally tortured before his death.

Whichever version one chooses to believe, the tragedy remains clear: Winston Pounds suffered a horrific fate in an era plagued by racial tensions and injustice. This event, like many others from that time, serves as a stark reminder of the importance of truth, justice, and the ongoing fight against prejudice.