Seminole burning

About this book

In 1898 after the murder of a white woman, two young Seminoles were chained and burned alive. Hiding behind a wall of silence and fearing reprisal for identifying the executioners, virtually the entire white community became involved with the ghastly execution. In this absorbing narrative Daniel F. Littlefield, Jr., captures the horror and details the events that incited this alarming act of mob violence and community complicity. Seminole Burning not only gives an account of a dramatic, violent chapter in Indian-white relations but also provides insights into the social, economic, and legal history of the times. Because the lynchers took the victims out of Indian Territory and into the new state of Oklahoma for execution, the case became a target for federal investigation. With the conviction of six this became the first successful prosecution of lynchers in the Southwest.