Matthew Bullock
Encyclopedia
Matthew Bullock was an African American
who fled to Canada and became a cause celebre
in the early 1920s.
Originally from Norlina, North Carolina
, Bullock's saga began when his brother Plummer attempted to return 10 cents worth of apples, which he claimed were bad. The store keeper refused the request, and an argument broke out which escalated to an exchange of threats between the two men. Later that evening a group of whites confronted a group of blacks. Gunfire was exchanged, but no one was hurt. While both Bullock brothers claimed to have been several miles away from these events, they were charged with inciting a riot and Matthew Bullock was charged with intent to murder.
The next day Plummer was arrested and imprisoned in the local jail. The following morning a mob stormed the jail and lynched Plummer, and another Black man named Alf Williams. Matthew Bullock fled town, and eventually made it to Canada. There he settled in Hamilton, Ontario
working in the construction industry.
When he was located in Canada in 1922 his extradition was demanded, and Bullock was imprisoned in the Hamilton jail for immigration violations. In Canada he became a cause celebre as activists insisted that he would not receive a fair trial if extradited to North Carolina, and could face the same fate as his brother. The campaign for his release was led by the St. Paul's African Methodist Episcopal Church and by the newspaper The Globe
which gave extensive coverage to the case. There were five editorials about the case in the New York Times. In the United States the NAACP campaigned on Bullock's behalf, but the white residents of Norlina circulated a petition demanding his extradition. North Carolina Governor Cameron A. Morrison
pressured the State Department to have Bullock returned to face trial.
On January 26, 1922 Charles Stewart
, the Canadian minister of the interior, announced that Bullock would be released from detention in Hamilton, and that his illegal entry
into Canada would be forgiven due to his exemplary behaviour while living in Canada. Only a few weeks later, however, the Americans reiterated their demands for extradition and Bullock was again arrested. The judge in Bullock's extradition hearing, Colin George Snider, demanded that prima facie
evidence of Bullock's guilt be presented before he would be extradited. Since almost all the evidence was eye witness accounts, this would have forced the government of North Carolina to go to considerable expense transporting witnesses to Hamilton. Governor Morrison rejected this, and the Canadian judge released Bullock.
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
who fled to Canada and became a cause celebre
Cause célèbre
A is an issue or incident arousing widespread controversy, outside campaigning and heated public debate. The term is particularly used in connection with celebrated legal cases. It is a French phrase in common English use...
in the early 1920s.
Originally from Norlina, North Carolina
Norlina, North Carolina
Norlina is a town in Warren County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 1,107 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Norlina is located at ....
, Bullock's saga began when his brother Plummer attempted to return 10 cents worth of apples, which he claimed were bad. The store keeper refused the request, and an argument broke out which escalated to an exchange of threats between the two men. Later that evening a group of whites confronted a group of blacks. Gunfire was exchanged, but no one was hurt. While both Bullock brothers claimed to have been several miles away from these events, they were charged with inciting a riot and Matthew Bullock was charged with intent to murder.
The next day Plummer was arrested and imprisoned in the local jail. The following morning a mob stormed the jail and lynched Plummer, and another Black man named Alf Williams. Matthew Bullock fled town, and eventually made it to Canada. There he settled in Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
working in the construction industry.
When he was located in Canada in 1922 his extradition was demanded, and Bullock was imprisoned in the Hamilton jail for immigration violations. In Canada he became a cause celebre as activists insisted that he would not receive a fair trial if extradited to North Carolina, and could face the same fate as his brother. The campaign for his release was led by the St. Paul's African Methodist Episcopal Church and by the newspaper The Globe
The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
which gave extensive coverage to the case. There were five editorials about the case in the New York Times. In the United States the NAACP campaigned on Bullock's behalf, but the white residents of Norlina circulated a petition demanding his extradition. North Carolina Governor Cameron A. Morrison
Cameron A. Morrison
Cameron A. Morrison was the 55th Governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina from 1921 to 1925.He was born in 1869 in Richmond County, North Carolina. With the backing of Sen. Furnifold Simmons and the help of race-baiting tactics employed by A. D. Watts, Morrison defeated O. Max Gardner in the...
pressured the State Department to have Bullock returned to face trial.
On January 26, 1922 Charles Stewart
Charles Stewart (Canadian politician)
Charles Stewart, PC was a Canadian politician who served as the third Premier of Alberta from 1917 until 1921. Born in Strabane, Ontario, in Wentworth County, Stewart was a farmer who moved west to Alberta after his farm was destroyed by a storm...
, the Canadian minister of the interior, announced that Bullock would be released from detention in Hamilton, and that his illegal entry
Illegal entry
Illegal entry is the act of foreign nationals arriving in or crossing the borders into a country in violation of its immigration law.Migrants from nations that do not have automatic visa agreements, or who would not otherwise qualify for a visa, often cross the borders illegally in some areas like...
into Canada would be forgiven due to his exemplary behaviour while living in Canada. Only a few weeks later, however, the Americans reiterated their demands for extradition and Bullock was again arrested. The judge in Bullock's extradition hearing, Colin George Snider, demanded that prima facie
Prima facie
Prima facie is a Latin expression meaning on its first encounter, first blush, or at first sight. The literal translation would be "at first face", from the feminine form of primus and facies , both in the ablative case. It is used in modern legal English to signify that on first examination, a...
evidence of Bullock's guilt be presented before he would be extradited. Since almost all the evidence was eye witness accounts, this would have forced the government of North Carolina to go to considerable expense transporting witnesses to Hamilton. Governor Morrison rejected this, and the Canadian judge released Bullock.
External links
- Mug shot of Matthew Bullock, 1921 (cbcnews.ca)
