This collection is made up of five documents or drafts of documents pertinent to a coroner's jury called to investigate the discovery of the body of a deceased black man in the Tallahatchie River near Shellmound, Mississippi, September 1887. The documents include an order by Justice of the Peace A. P. Parks for the sheriff to summon a coroner's jury (September 28, 1887), the jury's certification of the death of Harry Taylor (September 28, 1887), testimonies of witnesses providing hearsay about the discovery of two bodies in the river and the role of local black Freemasons in their deaths, a jury statement that the body was that of Harry Taylor and that he'd been killed by named black Masons, and a manuscript account for payment to the jury and others (September 30, 1887).
On September 17, 1887, the body of a black man was found floating in the Tallahatchie River near Shellmound (or, "Shell Mound"), Leflore County, Mississippi. A coroner's jury was called to determine the cause of death and identify the deceased. A variety of evidence, including height, weight, age, size, an identifying scar, and a pair of suspenders, led the jury to determine that the dead man was Harry Taylor and that he died of gunshot wounds. Taylor had recently disappeared, along with his wife. Taylor had purportedly killed a member of the Dry Bayou Lodge, an unofficial group of black Freemasons, and it was suspected that they in turn had killed Taylor and his wife in an act of retribution. A newspaper account of the event stated that the black Masons "are not recognized by the white Masons at all, and their order is not under the authority of the old York order of Masonry. It is hard to say whether they have an obligation that teaches them to avenge, slash, etc., or whether they construe the obligations to suit themselves. The white people of the county are determined to break up their lodges and to punish the guilty members of this death-doing order" (Nashville Banner, Oct. 10, 1887: 3)
Nine members of the Dry Bayou Lodge were arrested and committed to jail. While awaiting trial, Harry Taylor and his wife reappeared, very much alive, and the sheriff released the accused black Masons. The identification of the man found in the river apparently remained unknown.
