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Lynching of Manse Waldrop

SOLVED1887South Carolina, United States3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
Illustrative

On December 30, 1887, in South Carolina, Manse Waldrop, a 35-year-old white man, was lynched by a mostly African-American mob. Waldrop had allegedly raped and murdered a 14-year-old African-American girl named Lula Sherman. Sherman is the victim at the center of the underlying alleged crime.

In 1888, three members of the lynch mob — William C. Williams, Harrison Heyward, and Henry Bolton — were tried and convicted of murder for Waldrop's killing. The jury that convicted them recommended mercy for all three men. Despite this recommendation, Williams and Heyward were sentenced to death, while Bolton was granted a new trial. Executions for Williams and Heyward were scheduled for April 2.

In the months that followed, a large public campaign sought clemency for the convicted men. A total of 52 petitions, collectively signed by 3,000 white and Black South Carolinians, urged pardons. One petition, signed by a group of white residents, stated that although they opposed lynching in general, punishing Williams and Heyward would be unjust. Another petition asserted that Waldrop was guilty of the rape and murder of Sherman and had committed other rapes previously. Samuel Dibble, a white politician, publicly stated that he viewed lynching as a justifiable response to avenge rape, regardless of the race of those involved.

The trial judge, Joseph J. Norton, also petitioned on behalf of the convicted men. Norton explained that he had been legally bound to impose death sentences on Williams and Heyward following their conviction for premeditated murder, but he believed the jurors had not intended for the men to actually be executed and might have reached a different verdict had they anticipated their mercy recommendation would be disregarded.

South Carolina Governor John Peter Richardson III first granted reprieves to Williams and Heyward, then on April 15, 1889, pardoned all three men — Williams, Heyward, and Bolton. In his pardon statement, Richardson said he did not condone lynching and would not pardon a white man for lynching a Black person, but that it would be hypocritical to punish these men when white lynch mobs had frequently gone unpunished. He stated that the men had witnessed the law broken and lynchers go free on numerous occasions, and that if lynchers in other cases were allowed to go free, these men — whom he described as having acted in imitation of that pattern — should not be made to suffer for it.

Key facts

Victims
Manse Waldrop, Lula Sherman
Date
1887
Location
South Carolina, United States
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 1887-12-30

    Manse Waldrop, accused of raping and murdering 14-year-old Lula Sherman, is lynched by a mostly African-American mob in South Carolina.

  2. 1888

    William C. Williams, Harrison Heyward, and Henry Bolton are convicted of murder for the lynching of Waldrop; the jury recommends mercy for all three.

  3. 1889-04-15

    Governor John Peter Richardson III pardons Williams, Heyward, and Bolton.

Best coverage

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People

  • William C. Williams

    CONVICTED

    Convicted of murder for participating in the lynching of Manse Waldrop; sentenced to death, later pardoned in 1889.

  • Manse Waldrop

    VICTIM

    35-year-old white man lynched by a mob in South Carolina after being accused of raping and murdering Lula Sherman.

  • Henry Bolton

    CONVICTED

    Convicted of murder for participating in the lynching of Manse Waldrop; granted a new trial, later pardoned in 1889.

  • Lula Sherman

    VICTIM

    14-year-old African-American girl allegedly raped and murdered by Manse Waldrop.

  • Joseph J. Norton

    LAW ENFORCEMENT

    Trial judge who sentenced Williams and Heyward to death per legal requirement, then petitioned for their pardon.

  • Harrison Heyward

    CONVICTED

    Convicted of murder for participating in the lynching of Manse Waldrop; sentenced to death, later pardoned in 1889.

  • John Peter Richardson III

    LAW ENFORCEMENT

    Governor of South Carolina who granted reprieves and later pardoned Williams, Heyward, and Bolton.

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

Places

South Carolina, United States

34.8526, -82.3940

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
In December 1887, a South Carolina mob lynched Manse Waldrop, a white man accused of raping and murdering 14-year-old Lula Sherman, a Black girl. Three Black men convicted of the lynching were sentenced to death but ultimately pardoned in 1889 amid widespread petitions and the trial judge's own appeal for clemency.
Where did the crime happen?
South Carolina, United States.
Who was convicted?
William C. Williams (Convicted of murder for participating in the lynching of Manse Waldrop; sentenced to death, later pardoned in 1889.), Henry Bolton (Convicted of murder for participating in the lynching of Manse Waldrop; granted a new trial, later pardoned in 1889.), and Harrison Heyward (Convicted of murder for participating in the lynching of Manse Waldrop; sentenced to death, later pardoned in 1889.).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved.
More cases in South Carolina

Sources

  1. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — upcountryhistorical.orgupcountryhistorical.org · 2026-07-10
  2. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — tandfonline.comtandfonline.com · 2026-07-10
  3. ENCYCLOPEDICLynching of Manse WaldropWikipedia · 2026-07-10

Record history

First published
JUL 10, 2026