White churchgoers streamed directly from Sunday worship to a mass lynching

Evidence

When the city’s white churches emptied from morning services, many worshippers streamed straight from church to the train station, hoping to participate in the much-anticipated lynching. To meet demand, the Atlanta and West Point Railroad put together a special run with six coaches; conductors roamed the platform, shouting, “Special train to Newnan! All aboard for the burning!” But that train was soon overwhelmed, with people hanging on to the outside of the cars and climbing onto the roofs to ensure they didn’t miss the spectacle. Police had to be called in, and the railroad commissioned a second ten-car train behind the first. Packed with approximately two thousand Atlanta citizens, both trains sped toward Newnan. — Robert P. Jones, White Too Long, 91

Categorization

• XREF: The religious ecstasy at the lynching — ‘Glory! Glory be to God!’ — echoes the moral-panic/ritual lens of the sacrifice article. — connects to: White churches actively produced white supremacy rather than merely tolerating it — Robert P. Jones, White Too Long: The Legacy of White…, 102; Lynch mobs killed festively with meals, Sunday clothes, mutilation, and souvenir photos — Sherene Razack, Casting Out: The Eviction of Muslims…, 164; Lynching crowds voiced religious ecstasy, merging mob murder with worship. — Robert P. Jones, White Too Long: The Legacy of White…, 97 (+1 more)
• SHARE: The detail of railroad conductors shouting ‘All aboard for the burning!’ is so vivid it deserves forwarding to anyone interested in the church’s role in racial terror.

Broader Connections

• White churches actively produced white supremacy rather than merely tolerating it #expands (0.82) — Robert P. Jones, White Too Long, 102
• Lynch mobs killed festively with meals, Sunday clothes, mutilation, and souvenir photos #expands (0.75) — Sherene Razack, Casting Out, 164