The Key West race riot occurred in 1897, after a 19-year-old black man was accused of raping a white woman in the city. While there were attempts to lynch Sylvanus Johnson, the alleged perpetrator, an all-black group defended him at his jail. They shot and killed a white man in the process, fomenting a race riot. Johnson was executed after a 21-minute deliberation by an all-white jury. He admitted his guilt at his trial and confessed a second time at his execution. [1]
Key West, Florida, had been established for about a year when Sylvanus Johnson, a 19-year-old black man, was accused of raping Maggie Atwell, a white woman. [2] He had allegedly attacked her while she and two of her friends were collecting flowers in June 1897. [3] He was jailed after Atwell identified him as her rapist. [2] The night of the accusation, a mob of some 25 to 30 men tried to storm the jail and lynch Johnson. [2] They failed, as the jail keeper did not turn him over. [2] The jail keeper and his associates had drawn their guns on the white mob who attempted to access Johnson. [4]
C.B. Pendleton, the owner and editor of two newspapers in the city and a Knights of Labor leader, urged a lynching at the court hearing for Johnson: [4] He had asked whether there were enough white men to lynch him. [2] This was a public call, and the Miami Metropolis said it was intended to warn black residents of the city of a lynching. [2] The Miami Metropolis also said it allowed them time to organize and prevent it; had Pendleton not said anything, they argued, he could have met no resistance. [2] After Pendleton's outburst, a black resident called to lynch Pendleton, and a group swarmed the editor. [4] He drew his guns and fled in a carriage. [4] Soon, another group of black residents of the town surrounded the jail, promised to shoot any white person who tried to take Johnson, [4] and threatened to burn down Key West. [5] They shot and killed James William Gardner, a 40-year-old white man, and badly beat several others that night. [4]
The sheriff thereafter formed a mob of some 40 people, and asked the governor to root out the black group. [4] The governor, William D. Bloxham, in turn asked for assistance from president William McKinley and his secretary of war. [A] [4] With his group formed, the sheriff had prevented much disturbance throughout the town. This may have been in part caused by him shooting and injuring a black man in front of a black mob. [4] Ultimately, there was no revenge by the white residents of the town against the black residents. [5]
Newspapers around the United States blamed the violence on Johnson, [4] although the Afro-American Sentinel from Omaha, Nebraska, praised the black community's vigorous defense of him. [7]
An all-white jury was empaneled for Johnson's trial. After all three women identified Johnson, who admitted his guilt, the jury found him guilty after 21 minutes of deliberation. [4] [8] He was sentenced to death and executed by hanging on 21 September 1897 as a crowd of as many as 5,000 people watched. [4] Johnson admitted his guilt again at his execution. [1]