Allen Small

Allen Small, a Black man, was held in the Lynchburg, Tennessee jail when a mob of about twenty-five men came to the building in the early hours of September 25, 1903. Sheriff George R. Davidson refused to hand over the keys and fired on the group from a window, wounding one man, but the mob broke through the doors, reached Small's cell and put a rope around his neck. When they could not take him out of the jail to hang him, the mob shot him to death in the corridor. Sheriff Davidson and his guards held several members of the mob, and a coroner's jury is investigating the killing.

Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A mob of about 25 men broke into the Lynchburg, Tennessee jail, reached Allen Small's cell, tried to hang him with a rope, and shot him when they could not take him out, according to the Nashville Banner's dispatch from Lynchburg.

Reported by: Nashville Banner (reporters); Birmingham Age-Herald (reporters); Sheriff George R. Davidson (the agency that held him).

News reports (10)

• The Birmingham Age-Herald, September 26, 1903, page 2 The Birmingham Age-Herald, September 26, 1903
• The Montgomery Advertiser, September 26, 1903, page 2 The Montgomery Advertiser, September 26, 1903
• The Paducah Sun, September 26, 1903, page 1 The Paducah Sun, September 26, 1903
• The Courier-Journal, September 26, 1903, page 4 The Courier-Journal, September 26, 1903
• The Free Lance, September 29, 1903, page 2 The Free Lance, September 29, 1903
• Paris Express, October 1, 1903, page 2 Paris Express, October 1, 1903
• The Canton Times, October 2, 1903, page 2 The Canton Times, October 2, 1903
• The Tupelo Journal, October 2, 1903, page 2 The Tupelo Journal, October 2, 1903
• The Scranton Chronicle, October 3, 1903, page 1 The Scranton Chronicle, October 3, 1903
• The Birmingham Age-Herald, October 5, 1903, page 4 The Birmingham Age-Herald, October 5, 1903