Died in jail or a lockup

Alexander Williams

died April 5, 1883 · Warren County, Mississippi

Alexander Williams, a Black man, was held in the jail at Vicksburg, Mississippi, in early April 1883 when a mob broke into the building, took him from it and hanged him. Accounts in the Memphis Daily Appeal and the Daily Los Angeles Herald, published April 7, 1883, report the killing in brief. Neither account says whether the sheriff or jailer resisted the mob or handed him over.

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

Reported by: Chicago News Vicksburg, Miss. special dispatch (reporters).

News reports (2)

Memphis Daily Appeal, April 7, 1883, page 2 Memphis Daily Appeal, April 7, 1883
Daily Los Angeles Herald, April 7, 1883, page 1 Daily Los Angeles Herald, April 7, 1883

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