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A Time of Terror: A Survivor's Story
On a dark summer night in 1930, three young men were arrested. Two were soon lynched. The third, James Cameron, with a noose around his neck and an angry mob calling for his blood, was spared. This is his story, told 64 years later with anger, insight, and reflection.
201 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1982
6 people are currently reading
390 people want to read
About the author
James Cameron
1 book2 followersJames Cameron survived being lynched from a maple tree in Marion, Indiana, when he was sixteen years old. Cameron, who kept a piece of the rope that had scarred his neck moments before he was spared, was the only known survivor of a lynching attempt. He detailed his experience in his well written memoir, A Time of Terror: A Survivor’s Story, now in its 3rd edition. In the 1940s, he founded three chapters of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). He also served as Indiana’s State Director of the Office of Civil Liberties from 1942 to 1950. In 1988 Cameron founded America’s Black Holocaust Museum in Milwaukee, devoted to African-American history from slavery to the present.
James Herbert Cameron, Jr. was born on February 25, 1914, in La Crosse, Wisconsin, to James Herbert Cameron and Vera Carter. His father was a barber who cut white men’s hair. He was also an abusive alcoholic who often lost his job. Seeking employment, he moved the family frequently. First they moved to Indianapolis, then through a series of small towns in Central Indiana. Finally, the family went to live in Birmingham, Alabama, when Cameron was five. By the time he was seven, his parents had divorced. When he was about fourteen, his mother moved her children to the North Central Indiana town of Marion to be near relatives. Cameron describes his mother as a very loving, religious woman. She took in washing to support him and his two sisters. They lived in very humble circumstances. In Marion their home was a former stable on the edge of town.
On Aug. 7, 1930, 16-year-old Cameron and two older teenage friends, Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith were arrested and accused of murder, robbery and rape. A white couple was parked in a lovers lane when the trio came upon them and one of the group suggested robbing the couple. Cameron later said he changed his mind and ran away before the man, Claude Deeter, 23, was fatally shot. The woman later denied being raped. The three were caught quickly and arrested and charged the same night.
A lynch mob broke into the jail where Cameron and his two friends were being held. According to Cameron’s own account, the two older boys were taken out first, beaten and lynched by a mob of 12,000-15,000 at the Grant County Courthouse Square. Shipp was taken out and beaten, hanged from the bars of his jail window; Smith was dead from beating before the mob hanged both the boys from a tree in the square. The bodies of these two men, Tom Shipp, 18, and Abraham Smith, 19, hanging from a tree is depicted in a famous and disturbing photograph.
Cameron was beaten and a noose was put around his neck; but, miraculously he was saved. The voice of an unidentified woman intervened, saying that he was not guilty: “Take this boy back. He had nothing to do with any raping or shooting of anybody.” Cameron, with his neck scarred from the rope, was returned to the jail. He was tried and convicted as an accessory to the murder that incited the lynching. He spent five years in prison.
After he was paroled, Cameron moved to Detroit, Michigan, to live with an aunt. In Detroit, he attended Wayne State University and got married before moving in 1939 to Anderson, Indiana. There he owned the only Black business in town — a combination shoeshine parlor, record shop and knickknack store. At the same time, he continued to study lynchings, race and civil rights in America and trying to teach others. Because of his personal experience, Cameron dedicated his life to promoting civil rights, racial unity and equality. In the 1940s, he founded three chapters of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), becoming the first president of the NAACP Madison County chapter in Anderson, Indiana.
He also served as the Indiana State Director of Civil Liberties from 1942 to 1950. In this capacity, Cameron reported to Governor of Indiana Henry Schricker on violations of the “equal accommodations” laws design
James Herbert Cameron, Jr. was born on February 25, 1914, in La Crosse, Wisconsin, to James Herbert Cameron and Vera Carter. His father was a barber who cut white men’s hair. He was also an abusive alcoholic who often lost his job. Seeking employment, he moved the family frequently. First they moved to Indianapolis, then through a series of small towns in Central Indiana. Finally, the family went to live in Birmingham, Alabama, when Cameron was five. By the time he was seven, his parents had divorced. When he was about fourteen, his mother moved her children to the North Central Indiana town of Marion to be near relatives. Cameron describes his mother as a very loving, religious woman. She took in washing to support him and his two sisters. They lived in very humble circumstances. In Marion their home was a former stable on the edge of town.
On Aug. 7, 1930, 16-year-old Cameron and two older teenage friends, Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith were arrested and accused of murder, robbery and rape. A white couple was parked in a lovers lane when the trio came upon them and one of the group suggested robbing the couple. Cameron later said he changed his mind and ran away before the man, Claude Deeter, 23, was fatally shot. The woman later denied being raped. The three were caught quickly and arrested and charged the same night.
A lynch mob broke into the jail where Cameron and his two friends were being held. According to Cameron’s own account, the two older boys were taken out first, beaten and lynched by a mob of 12,000-15,000 at the Grant County Courthouse Square. Shipp was taken out and beaten, hanged from the bars of his jail window; Smith was dead from beating before the mob hanged both the boys from a tree in the square. The bodies of these two men, Tom Shipp, 18, and Abraham Smith, 19, hanging from a tree is depicted in a famous and disturbing photograph.
Cameron was beaten and a noose was put around his neck; but, miraculously he was saved. The voice of an unidentified woman intervened, saying that he was not guilty: “Take this boy back. He had nothing to do with any raping or shooting of anybody.” Cameron, with his neck scarred from the rope, was returned to the jail. He was tried and convicted as an accessory to the murder that incited the lynching. He spent five years in prison.
After he was paroled, Cameron moved to Detroit, Michigan, to live with an aunt. In Detroit, he attended Wayne State University and got married before moving in 1939 to Anderson, Indiana. There he owned the only Black business in town — a combination shoeshine parlor, record shop and knickknack store. At the same time, he continued to study lynchings, race and civil rights in America and trying to teach others. Because of his personal experience, Cameron dedicated his life to promoting civil rights, racial unity and equality. In the 1940s, he founded three chapters of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), becoming the first president of the NAACP Madison County chapter in Anderson, Indiana.
He also served as the Indiana State Director of Civil Liberties from 1942 to 1950. In this capacity, Cameron reported to Governor of Indiana Henry Schricker on violations of the “equal accommodations” laws design
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
September 7, 2011
A Time of Terror is the first person account of James Cameron’s 1930 arrest and near lynching which subsequently claimed the lives of his two friends arrested along with him. How Cameron managed to escape the violent and cruel fate suffered by Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith and what happened to him over the ensuing years is the subject of this book.
Despite the graphic cover and the disturbing topic, Mr. Cameron’s book is tempered by the many lessons he has learned as a result of his suffering. What led me to A Time of Terror in the first place was my daughter’s Introduction to Corrections class.
Her class was assigned this website, Without Sanctuary. Knowing my interest in American history and the criminal justice system, she recommended it to me. Without Sanctuary is largely the creation of James Allen. It is a collection of old postcards and photographs depicting many of our nation’s lynchings at the beginning of the 20th Century. When you visit there, you take a virtual pilgrimage. Be forewarned, even a single image of a lynching victim is extremely painful, but the cumulative effect of the entire collection is beyond disturbing.
From a sociological and/or historical perspective, Without Sanctuary has its place, but I found it all too overwhelming to take in. I thought I might do better to read one person’s story—or as in this case—three boys. One of the pictures on the site referenced, A Time of Terror, which is also the book’s cover.
By the standards of today A Time of Terror reads somewhat simplistically. Even so it’s an important piece of historical record because it reflects Mr. Cameron’s experiences, perceptions, and beliefs in his own words. He was only sixteen when the arrest and near-lynching happened. Without giving away the rest of the book, he learned many hard lessons as a result of that night and the rest of his extended maneuvers with the legal system. And yet, despite everything he managed to avoid becoming angry, bitter or resentful—a truly commendable accomplishment!
Recommended.
Despite the graphic cover and the disturbing topic, Mr. Cameron’s book is tempered by the many lessons he has learned as a result of his suffering. What led me to A Time of Terror in the first place was my daughter’s Introduction to Corrections class.
Her class was assigned this website, Without Sanctuary. Knowing my interest in American history and the criminal justice system, she recommended it to me. Without Sanctuary is largely the creation of James Allen. It is a collection of old postcards and photographs depicting many of our nation’s lynchings at the beginning of the 20th Century. When you visit there, you take a virtual pilgrimage. Be forewarned, even a single image of a lynching victim is extremely painful, but the cumulative effect of the entire collection is beyond disturbing.
From a sociological and/or historical perspective, Without Sanctuary has its place, but I found it all too overwhelming to take in. I thought I might do better to read one person’s story—or as in this case—three boys. One of the pictures on the site referenced, A Time of Terror, which is also the book’s cover.
By the standards of today A Time of Terror reads somewhat simplistically. Even so it’s an important piece of historical record because it reflects Mr. Cameron’s experiences, perceptions, and beliefs in his own words. He was only sixteen when the arrest and near-lynching happened. Without giving away the rest of the book, he learned many hard lessons as a result of that night and the rest of his extended maneuvers with the legal system. And yet, despite everything he managed to avoid becoming angry, bitter or resentful—a truly commendable accomplishment!
Recommended.
July 24, 2021
Powerful memoir. A must-read.
July 27, 2011
This is one of the books that I was going to read for the Hometown Challenge. But it was lost in the library. They found it. I brought it home and read it yesterday. It was so riveting I couldn't put it down. To think this happened in my home town. I had heard stories bout this my whole life. I've even saw the now famous picture. But reading the words of James Cameron was like reliving his terror of that night. This is a very moving book.
February 14, 2022
It’s kind of hard to give a book like this a rating. It’s an important read.
August 5, 2023
Incredible. Endlessly engaging memoir from the only survivor of a lynching, as well as the founder of America's Black Holocaust Museum, this is a chilling, brilliantly-told tale. It's also full of hope and even humor (especially when telling of his childhood or some of the episodes from his prison stay). He's a great writer, with a knack for words and a gift for telling the world exactly how racist whites can be without sounding hateful. Perhaps the most amazing aspect is how hopeful and full of humanity the book is, especially given how utterly devoid of humanity most of his community was.
May 15, 2024
The first four pages of the pologue is the most riveting reading I've ever had in my life. It sets the stage for the 192 pages to follow. Dr. Cameron's first-hand account of what it is was like to be abducted by a mob hell-bent on murdering you will send chills through your body. Not only was this man a survivor, he was a hero who learned a lesson early in his life about the importance of the company that you keep and why you should heed the warnings of your parents. This is a book that should be in schools throughout America.
August 20, 2022
PAGE 53-63: I've been wondering for a while: Do you think white males started the "black people are dangerous" nonsense to misdirected other whites? I mean, look at how violent white males are (historically), yet look how much shade they throw on POC.
I was hoping to get further details about what Mr. Cameron did once he got out of jail. How did he get a job, etc.
He seemed to follow the old nonsense that it was the prisoner's fault she\he ended up back in prison.
Well, I finished it And it was hard copy too.
I was hoping to get further details about what Mr. Cameron did once he got out of jail. How did he get a job, etc.
He seemed to follow the old nonsense that it was the prisoner's fault she\he ended up back in prison.
Well, I finished it And it was hard copy too.
May 31, 2023
I purchased this book at the America's Black Holocaust Museum in Milwaukee, earlier this year. I recommend visiting this museum when in Milwaukee. The book is excellent and obviously hard in parts to read but needs to be read and re-read by more people. It is a timeless piece that shows hate that exists in humans, but also shows the endurance, love of strangers and the potential of strength with love.
September 3, 2025
The cover of this book caught my attention as I wandered through my local library. I read the back, and then the most compelling intro I've ever read. This story is a first hand account of surviving lynching in Indiana in the 1930s as a 16 year old boy who was wrongfully accused of two crimes. This book shows the raw and real experience of racism and the barbaric treatment he received from his community but also the police department.
January 28, 2023
The story is soooooo compelling: James Cameron was lynched and lived. The book, though, is soooooo not compelling. The telling makes for a great article, not a 200+ page book. It’s redundant and just a slog.
Read
April 16, 2024This book was a very educational read that was heavy but is a history topic that is extremely important, especially living in the Midwest, so close to the places these events occurred. I would suggest to anyone that wants to be educated on racism through real life events.
August 27, 2017
I can't recommend this book enough, absolutely phenomenal!
March 9, 2022
Unforgettable!
March 14, 2022
This hits close to my home and reminds me that faith in God often grows in the pain and makes deeper better humans of us
September 11, 2022
Incredibly powerful story! Everyone should give this a read through at least once in their lives.
November 16, 2025
This should be required
of all who teach, read, and live.
History repeats.
of all who teach, read, and live.
History repeats.
February 21, 2017
A must read.
Want to read
January 2, 2009African Americans,America,history,lynching,the South,memoir
May 17, 2018
Strong. Historic. Unbelievable.
August 21, 2022
I own a signed copy of this. It's a stunning thing to have. Historians have raised questions about some of what Cameron remembers, but much of the events we wouldn't know without his testimony.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews