The Story of Sidney Randolph (b. 1868-1874; d. 1896)
Sidney Randolph, a native of Georgia in his mid-twenties, was accused of attacking the Buxton family of Gaithersburg and was eventually lynched in Rockville, Maryland on July 4, 1896. His murderers were never identified or brought to justice for this crime.
In a speech given to the Anti-Lynching Society in Washington, D.C. a few weeks after Randoolph’s murder, Ida B. Wells said of it, “Many a negro is lynched as a scapegoat for another man’s crime. An editorial in one of the papers clearly states that the lynching of Sidney Randolph, the negro lynched in Montgomery County, Md, was instigated by the real murderer of Sadie Buxton. Randolph was a scapegoat” (Washington Evening Star: July 24, 1896, page 12).
Narrative of Sidney Randolph
We invite you to read this account of events related to the Buxton case and the lynching of Sidney Randolph, compiled based on a close reading of more than 200 newspaper articles and multiple other local primary sources.
Newspaper Reporting
Learn how to access the newspaper accounts cited in the narrative
Biographies of Named Individuals
Biographical information on the named participants throughout the case, outlining their personal backstories and relationships beyond what is possible to share in the narrative
Remembrance Weekend, 2021
On September 25, 2021, Montgomery History, in partnership with The Montgomery County Lynching Memorial Project, and the Montgomery County Remembrance and Reconciliation Commission, held a symposium as part of Remembrance Weekend, recognizing two men who were the victims of racial terror lynchings in Rockville, Maryland: Mr. John Diggs-Dorsey and Mr. Sidney Randolph. Speakers included historians Ralph Buglass and Tony Cohen, along with Montgomery History’s archivist Sarah Hedlund.
Play from the beginning to see opening remarks by Montgomery History’s Executive Director, Matt Logan; Montgomery History’s Board of Directors Chair, Shaunta Vaughn; and County Council member Craig Rice.
Use this link to skip to Ralph Buglass’s talk, “Retrospective on Race.”
Use these links to skip to Sarah Hedlund’s talk, “The Rockville Lynchings”, the stories of Mr. John Diggs-Dorsey and Mr. Sidney Randolph
Use this link to skip to Tony Cohen’s talk, “Anatomy of a Lynching.”
Use these links to skip to comments by County Council members Will Jawando and Hans Riemer.
On September 26, 2021, Montgomery County leaders and residents joined together in a remembrance pilgrimage walk and soil collection ceremony to memorialize John Diggs-Dorsey and Sidney Randolph.
The pilgrimage walk began at the site of the Rockville jail, and ended at Welsh Park where the soil collection took place (representing the halfway point between the two areas where both men were killed). One jar of soil for each man was given to the EJI representative for display in the Legacy Museum in Alabama, and five additional jars were distributed to local cultural heritage organizations, including Montgomery History.
Content published August 29, 2020 and updated February, 2021 by Sarah Hedlund, Archivist/Librarian. Copyright Montgomery History, 2021, all rights reserved.