Stanly Has a Lynching: The Murder of Alexander Whitley: A Family Legacy Entangled in a Web of Fiction & Folklore.

By M. Lynette Hartsell

“Stanly Has A Lynching” examines the ways in which the media as well as religious, political and social institutions have used ballads, fiction and folklore tales for over a century to celebrate, rather than condemn, the brutal lynching of a white man, Alexander Whitley, in 1892. How men in a small town in North Carolina justified this act of murder as “Just Desert” -- before, during and after the event -- is exposed when facts, rather than fiction, are brought into focus. Through her research and analysis, Ms. Hartsell demonstrates how a family legacy was tainted by a fabricated folktale embedded in religious motif. Many newspaper accounts from the 1800’s help tell the story, conveying aspects of southern history and Lynch Culture not often found in textbooks.

• Language: English
• Publisher: M. Lynette Hartsell
• Release date: Oct 17, 2018
• ISBN: 9781732354111