Joseph Lumpkin Merrell (1862 – July 24, 1939)[1] was an American sheriff. He was sheriff of Carroll County, Georgia at the turn of the 20th century who gained nationwide fame for stopping a lynching.[2] Articles about his bravery appeared in the New York Evening Post, the Atlanta Constitution, the Louisville Courier Journal, the Washington Star, and the Boston Herald.[3] He is also mentioned by Mark Twain in his 1901 essay The United States of Lyncherdom.[4] Merrell's last name was often misspelled in the press as "Merrill."[5]
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Wikisource has original text related to this article:
- ^ "J.L. Merrell Sr., Dies; Rites Today". The Atlanta Constitution. 25 July 1939.
- ^ The Century Illustrated Monthly Magazine: Volume LXII. New York: Macmillan & Co. Ltd. 1901. p. 631.
- ^ "A Sheriff Who Did His Duty". Public Opinion: A Comprehensive Summary of Press Throughout the World on All Important Current Topics. Vol. 30. Waverley Place, New York. 20 June 1901. p. 777.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Twain, Mark; Justin Kaplan (2004). Great Short Works of Mark Twain. Harper Collins. pp. 193f2. ISBN 0060727861.
- ^ "Roosevelt gives Sheriff Merrill a job". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 30 December 1906. p. 30.