Memphis Triple Lynching 1892: Thomas Moss and Friends Killed

Thomas Moss, Calvin McDowell, and Will Stewart — co-owners of the People's Grocery in Memphis — were seized from jail and lynched on March 9, 1892. Their offense was competing successfully with a white-owned store. The murders radicalized Ida B. Wells, who had been friends with Moss. In response she called on Black Memphians to leave the city or boycott white businesses. Thousands emigrated to Oklahoma.