Published in 1931, it describes a lynch mob forming (despite ambiguous evidence) on a hot September evening to avenge an alleged (and unspecified) insult or attack upon a white woman by a black watchman, Will.
[1] Told in five parts, the story includes the perspective of the rumored female victim, Miss Minnie Cooper, and of the mob's leader, John McLendon.
It was originally published in Scribner's magazine, and later appeared in collections of his short stories.
It includes an appearance by Hawkshaw, the barber who was the focus of Faulkner's later story, "Hair".
However, the men's fervor is raised enough that they become accusational of the barber and deride him for trusting a black man over a white woman.
The barber insists on getting out but the leader won't stop and tells him to jump, which is what he ultimately does.
The story returns to Minnie who is going into the town with her friends and many are whispering about what happened to her and teo Will.