Alex Crawford

Alex Crawford, a Black man, was held in the jail at Winona, Mississippi. On March 7, 1887, a crowd of several hundred men broke into the jail, took him from his cell and hanged him from a railroad trestle near town, according to newspaper dispatches from the period. One account, reprinted in the Grenada Sentinel, says some older citizens urged that he be tried by law but were voted down, and that his brother later cut down his body and took it home for burial. That account also says officers offered resistance before the jail was broken into, while other reports differ on how jail staff responded.

Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched

Reported by: Newspaper dispatch from Winona, Miss. (Memphis Avalanche, reprinted in The Grenada Sentinel) (reporters).

News reports (6)

• Fort Worth Daily Gazette, March 9, 1887, page 7 Fort Worth Daily Gazette, March 9, 1887
• Daily Evening Bulletin, March 9, 1887, page 4 Daily Evening Bulletin, March 9, 1887
• The Hickman Courier, March 11, 1887, page 1 The Hickman Courier, March 11, 1887
• The Grenada Sentinel, March 12, 1887, page 8 The Grenada Sentinel, March 12, 1887
• The Southern Herald, March 12, 1887, page 2 The Southern Herald, March 12, 1887
• Macon Beacon, March 12, 1887, page 1 Macon Beacon, March 12, 1887