Lynch mob storms Old Parish Prison and kills 11 Italians in New Orleans (1890–1891)

On March 14, 1891, a mob stormed the Old Parish Prison in New Orleans, killing eleven Italian prisoners. The violence followed the acquittal of nine defendants in the murder of Police Chief David Hennessy, who had been shot in October 1890. The mob, believing the jury was corrupt, broke into the jail and executed the inmates, marking the largest mass lynching in U.S. history.

Episodes

Background and detail

Background. David Hennessy, a New Orleans police chief, was shot by gunmen on October 15, 1890. Nineteen men, mostly Italian immigrants, were indicted for the murder and held without bail in the Parish Prison. Press coverage was sensational and anti-Italian, often describing suspects in ethnic terms. The legal proceedings against the accused generated significant public anger, setting the stage for the mob violence that followed.

The Lynching. On March 14, 1891, thousands of demonstrators gathered near the Parish Prison. A multi-racial crowd marched to the prison, chanting for the prisoners. The mob forced open the prison doors and killed eleven of the nineteen Italian men held there, most by shooting. Some prisoners managed to escape by hiding inside the prison. The event was recorded as the largest single mass lynching in American history.

People involved

Sources

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