Memory of Samuel J. Bush, Black man lynched by mob, honored by family, activists

The lynching of Samuel J. Bush in Decatur, Illinois, 130 years ago, is being remembered by family members and local activists who want to continue telling his story.

Vernon Wimberly, the great-great nephew of Bush, and Decatur activist groups Affordable Activism and Walk It Like We Talk It, said they pushed the city for years to have a historical marker dedicated in Bush's memory.

Bush, a 30-year-old Black man from Mississippi, was lynched by a mob across from the Macon County Courthouse in 1893 after being accused of assaulting two white women in the nearby town of Mt. Zion.

The plaque was finally unveiled at the Macon County Courthouse on June 3.

"It brought tears to my eyes and heart," Wimberly told ABC News. "I said to the crowd; There is no sorrow here. It brought joy to my heart that people would remember and bring this story to light."

The marker tells the story from when Bush arrived in town, to his unfortunate passing, the aftermath of the lynching and why Mt. Zion was a "Sundown Town," which excluded non-white people—predominately Black Americans—from remaining in the area after sunset.

"[The process] was excruciating. Incredibly taxing, but it was important to me that we do whatever we could to have the marker for the 130th anniversary of Mr. Bush's murder," Dana Thomas, the founder of Affordable Activism, told ABC News.

"It was a surreal moment," Dominique Smith-Bates, the co-founder of Walk It Like We Talk It, said of the marker commemoration. "It makes you think this could have happened to any of us. Seeing this through and telling it through...was truly rewarding."

Wimberly, a Decatur resident for over 30 years who now resides in Jacksonville, Florida, came up for the event and said that this day was vindication for him and memorable to participate in a historic day.

Macon County historian Mark Sorensen says the plaque is the first Illinois State Historical Society marker dealing with racial terror lynchings.

It is also the first historical marker in Macon County not related to Abraham Lincoln. Sorensen said there were an estimated 27 reported lynchings in Illinois.

Sorensen said evidence shows Bush likely did not assault the two women but merely asked them for food and water.

However, the accusations prompted an estimated 1,500 people to form a mob and pull Bush out of his prison cell. The mob then lynched him across the street from the Macon County Courthouse, according to Sorensen.

Despite outrage at the mob action, including from then-Illinois Gov. John Peter Altgeld, a grand jury refused to bring charges upon the ringleaders who orchestrated the crime, Sorensen said.

"All court records of that era have been lost. The newspapers reported that the Coroner's jury ruled this murder by the mob and named the three leaders," Sorensen told ABC News.

A second grand jury in 1893 also failed to indict anyone in connection with the lynching. No one was ever brought to justice for the killing of Bush.

Wimberly said he received an apology from Decatur Mayor Julie Moore Wolfe for the death of Bush.

"Samuel J. Bush's tragic and evil death is a testament why modern democracies must defend and protect equal opportunity for everyone. And advance the sacred value of the rule of law because, without it, civilization devolves and descends into inhumanities like lynching and ugly vigilante justice," Wolfe said at the City of Decatur proclamation honoring Bush.

The activist groups plan to continue commemorating Bush's death through a scholarship fund for students.

"History doesn't repeat itself, but it sure does rhyme, and if we don't have these conversations to educate and bring it to the forefront, the elements are there for there to happen again," said Karl Coleman, the treasurer of Walk It Like We Talk It.

Wimberly said he plans to write a book about his great-great uncle and release it sometime this year and hopes all who read about it or visit the site at the Macon County Courthouse remember Bush as a man of faith and strength.

"His story relates to everyone on this earth because we need peace and justice," Wimberly said. "We don't need violence. We need to learn and be educated to be the change that we can see for the young people throughout this country."