In 1904, Luther Holbert, an African-American, allegedly shot and killed white plantation owner James Eastland (uncle of future senator James Eastland), after Eastland confronted Holbert in his cabin. Eastland's death gained national attention. Within days, a white mob had captured Holbert and his wife, after which the couple were tortured with oversized corkscrews, had their fingers and ears cut off to distribute to onlookers, and were burned to death while tied to a tree. The Holberts' gruesome murder inspired Bo Carter's 1936 blues hit All Around Man, with its references to "the butcher-man", "screwin", "grindin", and "bore your hole till the auger-man comes".
In 1904, Luther Holbert, an African-American, allegedly shot and killed white plantation owner James Eastland (uncle of future senator James Eastland), after Eastland confronted Holbert in his cabin. Eastland's death gained national attention. Within days, a white mob had captured Holbert and his wife, after which the couple were tortured with oversized corkscrews, had their fingers and ears cut off to distribute to onlookers, and were burned to death while tied to a tree. The Holberts' gruesome murder inspired Bo Carter's 1936 blues hit All Around Man, with its references to "the butcher-man", "screwin" "grindin", and "bore your hole till the auger-man comes".