The front page of the Raleigh News and Observer on Monday,
September 19, 1921, boldly announced the most sensational local
news story of the day: "Negro Lynched by Mob at Pittsboro Early on
Sunday." 'Ernest Daniels' (as in many other lynching cases the
newspaper did not bother to get the victim's name right - it should
have been 'Eugene Daniel') had reportedly been discovered in the
room of 17 year old Gertrude Stone, daughter of white farmer Walter
Stone, the previous Friday evening. Mr. Stone was "away at the time
hunting," and while he was gone it was claimed his daughter had
awakened to find "a negro leaning over her bed, and thinking at
first that it was her brother, she called to him. This frightened
the negro away."
Bloodhounds were secured from Raeford (over 60 miles away), and
late Saturday afternoon they took up the trail, which the newspaper
states led to the home of "negro youth" Eugene Daniel. He
reportedly "confessed to have entered the house to the officers who
took him into custody," and was quickly transported to Pittsboro
and placed in jail there.
The jail was surrounded by a mob at about 2 in the morning, and
after the typical minimal resistance by the jailer, the keys to the
jail were obtained. Eugene was taken out and hung by an auto tire
chain some 5 miles east of Pittsboro on the old Raleigh Road. It
was reported that after the hanging the mob fired shots into the
body with shotguns and pistols, though Daniel's death certificate
states the cause of death as "Hanging and Gun shot Wounds. Lynched
by mob," so it is unclear whether he was still living when the
shots were fired. While Coroner George H. Brooks reportedly called
an inquest, no records of such an investigation survive in the NC
State Archives in Raleigh.
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The primary cache site is quite near private property (houses to
the south), so to ensure you do not trespass please use the
intermediate coordinates below to approach it. Try to be quiet to
avoid attracting the attention of the homeowners. Definitely do NOT
approach from the south via paved E. Stone Rd., as this will
certainly take you through private property.
Farrington Rd. Parking coordinates: N 35° 46.950', W 79°
00.498'
This will place you at the point where E. Stone Rd. used to
terminate on Farrington Rd. Follow the old dirt roadbed into the
woods, and when the bearing to the intermediate waypoint is 312°
Magnetic, head away from the road toward it.
Intermediate coordinates: N 35° 46.975', W 79° 00.740'
From here, head for the cache using the coordinates at the top
of the page. There should be a stack of written instructions for
locating the second and third virtual caches stashed in a ziploc
bag (labeled "Take One") inside the ammo box, along with some
trinkets for trading. If there are two or fewer instruction sheets
left, please note this in your online post, so they can be
replenished.
This geocache has been placed near the home of John and Ida
Daniel, African-American parents of Eugene Daniel, who had
celebrated his 16th birthday just a few days before his lynching.
The Daniels were a prominent, well-educated family, having paid
$3500 (a large sum in those days) to Walter Stone's brother for the
farm a few years earlier. Exactly where the house was located is
uncertain. A good portion of the Daniel property now lies submerged
beneath the waters of Jordan Lake, but the home was probably in
this area, as at least one personal account of the incident said
the Daniel house was within sight of the Walter Stone home (which
still exists, at the top of the knoll on E. Stone Road southeast of
here). John, Ida and Eugene are all buried a few miles away in the
old New Hope Church cemetery. The epitaph on Eugene's headstone
reads: "May The Resurrection Find Thee On The Bosom Of Thy
God."
This cache is the first part of a multi-part cache, with the
second leg leading to a virtual cache where the old jail stood,
from which the mob took Eugene Daniel on September 18, 1921. The
third leg leads from there to another virtual cache at the
approximate spot where Eugene was lynched.
The lynching site is tough to reach. Use a canoe or kayak for
easiest access. The paddle is less than a mile each way on fairly
protected, flat water. The water is shallow and the bottom rocky,
and therefore risky for powerboats to negotiate. It is possible to
reach this site on foot, but downed trees and rugged terrain make
what appears to be a relatively short hike a challenging one. Watch
out for old, open wells around 3rd stage site!
Final Notes: It's 10+ miles by car to the jail from the
homesite, and another 5 miles or so to the site of the lynching.
Success requires finding all three sites - doing stage 1 only
doesn't count!