Dale Cox

The Claude Neal Lynching: the 1934 Murders of Claude Neal and Lola Cannady Dale Cox

The 1934 lynching of an African American farm laborer named Claude Neal was part of an unprecedented outbreak of violence. It has been called the "last public spectacle" lynching in U. S. history. In the first new book on the incident in thirty years, writer and historian Dale Cox unveils a wealth of new information including never before published information from men involved in the actual lynching, statements from eyewitnesses, new documentation and much more. Critically acclaimed, this book is a must for any student of Southern history or the 1930s. Claude Neal was a Florida farm laborer accused of murdering a young woman named Lola Cannady. Despite the best efforts of law enforcement to protect him, he was taken from jail by force, tortured and murdered. His body was then hanged from a tree in Marianna, the county seat of Jackson County, Florida. The lynching sparked rioting and forced Florida's governor to order National Guard troops to occupy Marianna. The Claude Neal Lynching has been hailed by critics, including Southern novelist Janis Owens, for breaking new ground on the topic and for adding dramatically to what is known of the brutal events of 1934.