Struggle & Resistance Achievement & Excellence

February 1893

On February 1, 1893, Henry Smith was burned alive before an estimated crowd of 10,000 in Paris, Texas. His execution was advertised in advance over the Associated Press wire; special excursion trains brought spectators from across the region. Smith was tortured with hot irons for nearly an hour before being set alight. It was the first large-scale public burning lynching in documented U.S. history, establishing a horrific template.

Events

February 1, 1893
Henry Smith Burned Alive in Paris, Texas, February 1893
On February 1, 1893, Henry Smith was burned alive before an estimated crowd of 10,000 in Paris, Texas. His execution was advertised in advance over the Associated Press wire; special excursion trains brought spectators from across the region. Smith was tortured with hot irons for nearly an hour before being set alight. It was the first large-scale public burning lynching in documented U.S. history, establishing a horrific template.
February 1, 1893
Henry Smith Lynched Before 10,000 in Paris, Texas — Tortured 50 Minutes
Henry Smith, accused of murdering a white child in Paris, Texas, is seized, paraded through the city on a carnival float, and tortured on a scaffold before an estimated crowd of 10,000. His torturers apply red-hot irons to his body for approximately 50 minutes before he dies and his corpse is burned. The spectacle is advertised in advance; special trains bring spectators from surrounding counties. Photographs are sold as souvenirs.