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Lynching of Eli Ladd

SOLVED1890Blountsville, Indiana3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
Illustrative

Reuben Eli Ladd was born in 1869 and grew up near Mooreland, in Henry County, Indiana. His parents were Isaac and Sarah Ladd (née Means), and he lived with them and his younger sister, Julia, on the farm of his maternal grandparents, Reuben and Leah Means, in Blue River Township. The Means family had lived in the area since at least 1840. Ladd worked on the family farm from a young age and was also employed as a barber, and some contemporary newspapers referred to him as the "Mooreland barber."

On February 7, 1890, in Blountsville, Indiana, Ladd was chased and shot by a small group of white men who fired more than fifty rounds at him. The Muncie Morning News reported on February 8, 1890, that Ladd had been shot six times. Ladd was lynched after confronting a vigilante group of white men who accused him of assaulting a white woman. The lynching has been described as part of a broader pattern in which white mobs in Indiana used violence to enforce Jim Crow-era racial control during the Reconstruction period. Men frequently cited as leaders of the mob include William and Henry Rozell (also spelled Razell), Cassius (sometimes Charles) Lake, Charles Smelzer, John Davis, and J.P. Smith. Some accounts suggest there may have been an ongoing "private feud" between Ladd and one of these men.

On February 10, 1890, arrest warrants were issued for the Rozell brothers, Cassius Lake, Charles Smeltzer, and J.P. Smith, who were taken to the Henry County jail to await trial. On February 15, 1890, the Muncie Morning News reported that attorney Rollin Warner had been engaged to defend the accused men. On May 22, 1890, a jury acquitted Cassius Lake. On June 23, 1890, the "Smeltzer-Ladd" murder trial began before Judge Lotz in Delaware County Court. The Muncie Morning News reported on July 7, 1890, that Smeltzer had been convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to two years in the Indiana State Prison.

A separate trial for William Rozell began on December 29, 1890, at the New Castle Circuit Court. On January 11, 1891, John P. Smith testified that Rozell had conspired to murder Ladd the night before the lynching. Rozell was subsequently convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to two years in prison. Smith pleaded guilty to manslaughter and also received a two-year sentence.

The case drew regional attention; the Wheeling Register, a West Virginia newspaper, reportedly commented critically on what it characterized as "Hoosier hypocrisy," noting that the lynching had occurred in a county that voted Republican.

Key facts

Victims
Eli Ladd
Date
1890
Location
Blountsville, Indiana
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 1869

    Reuben Eli Ladd born near Mooreland, Henry County, Indiana.

  2. 1890-02-07

    Eli Ladd is chased and fatally shot by a group of white men in Blountsville, Indiana.

  3. 1890-02-08

    The Muncie Morning News reports Ladd had been shot six times.

  4. 1890-02-10

    Arrest warrants issued for the Rozell brothers, Cassius Lake, Charles Smeltzer, and J.P. Smith; suspects taken to Henry County jail.

  5. 1890-02-15

    Muncie Morning News reports attorney Rollin Warner engaged to defend the accused men.

  6. 1890-05-22

    Jury acquits Cassius Lake.

  7. 1890-06-23

    Smeltzer-Ladd murder trial begins under Judge Lotz in Delaware County Court.

  8. 1890-07-07

    Muncie Morning News reports Smeltzer convicted of manslaughter, sentenced to two years in Indiana State Prison.

  9. 1890-12-29

    Trial of William Rozell begins at New Castle Circuit Court.

  10. 1891-01-11

    John P. Smith testifies that William Rozell conspired to murder Ladd the night before the lynching; Rozell later convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to two years in prison; Smith pleads guilty to manslaughter, receiving the same sentence.

Best coverage

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People

  • J.P. Smith

    CONVICTED

    Pleaded guilty to manslaughter in connection with Ladd's killing; sentenced to two years in prison.

  • Henry Rozell

    CHARGED

    Arrested along with his brother William Rozell in connection with Ladd's killing; frequently cited among mob leaders.

  • Cassius Lake

    ACQUITTED

    Arrested in connection with Ladd's killing; acquitted by a jury on May 22, 1890.

  • Eli Ladd

    VICTIM

    Black barber and farmer chased and fatally shot by a mob in Blountsville, Indiana, on February 7, 1890.

  • William Rozell

    CONVICTED

    Convicted of manslaughter in connection with Ladd's killing; sentenced to two years in prison.

  • Charles Smeltzer

    CONVICTED

    Convicted of manslaughter for killing Eli Ladd; sentenced to two years in the Indiana State Prison.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Places

Blountsville, Indiana

40.1067, -85.2841

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
Eli Ladd, a Black barber and farmer, was chased and fatally shot more than fifty times by a group of white men in Blountsville, Indiana, on February 7, 1890. Five men were arrested; three were convicted of manslaughter and served two-year prison sentences.
Where did the crime happen?
Blountsville, Indiana.
Who was convicted?
J.P. Smith (Pleaded guilty to manslaughter in connection with Ladd's killing; sentenced to two years in prison.), William Rozell (Convicted of manslaughter in connection with Ladd's killing; sentenced to two years in prison.), and Charles Smeltzer (Convicted of manslaughter for killing Eli Ladd; sentenced to two years in the Indiana State Prison.).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved.
More cases in Indiana

Sources

  1. ENCYCLOPEDICLynching of Eli LaddWikipedia · 2026-07-10
  2. OFFICIAL / AGENCYContemporaneous coverage of the lynching of Eli Laddnewspapers.library.in.gov · 2026-07-10
  3. PRESSContemporaneous coverage / genealogical record related to Eli Laddfamilysearch.org · 2026-07-10