Aaron Thomas

Aaron Thomas was a Black man held under guard at Sunnyside in Waller County, Texas, in April 1897, along with several other men. According to a Houston dispatch reported in the San Francisco Call, a mob overpowered the guards and took Aaron and the others away from custody. The Watchman and Southron reports that the mob broke open the jail around midnight, while the New-York Tribune says the men were taken from a room where they were guarded. The Houston dispatch says his body was found hanging from an oak tree the next morning, and the accounts differ on how the mob got past the guards.

Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A Houston dispatch reported in the San Francisco Call says a mob overpowered guards at Sunnyside, took the men away and hanged them from an oak tree.

Reported by: San Francisco Call, citing a Houston dispatch (reporters).

Sources (3)

• The San Francisco Call, May 1, 1897, page 1 The San Francisco Call, May 1, 1897
• New-York Tribune, May 1, 1897, page 7 New-York Tribune, May 1, 1897
• The Watchman And Southron, May 5, 1897, page 4 The Watchman And Southron, May 5, 1897