On July 22, 1919, Monroe Edwards, also known as John Henry McCoy and J.H. Monroe, age unknown, was the victim of an attempted lynching in Halsell, Sumter County, Alabama by a mob of unknown size after being accused of murdering C.O. (Lum) Springer, a white man. Edwards was arrested alongside Alice Stewart, alias Georgie Pickens, and an unnamed African American man who allegedly harbored Edwards after the alleged crime. Prior to his attempted lynching, Edwards was a newcomer to the area, originally hailing from Birmingham.
