Anderson Ellis

Anderson Ellis, a Black man, was held in the Rockwall County Jail in Rockwall, Texas, in March 1909. According to The Montgomery Advertiser, a crowd of determined men overpowered the jailers, took their keys, unlocked his cell and brought him out to the public square. There he was tied to an iron stake and burned to death in front of a crowd estimated at about 1,000, according to the Birmingham Age-Herald and Daily Press. The Daily Press said the jailers were overpowered and no further resistance was described, and no official investigation or legal process is described in the reports.

Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. According to a 1909 newspaper report, a mob overpowered the Rockwall County jailers, took their keys, unlocked his cell and burned him at an iron stake in the public square.

Reported by: 1909 newspaper report (reporters).

News reports (5)

• The Montgomery Advertiser, March 8, 1909, page 1 The Montgomery Advertiser, March 8, 1909
• The Birmingham Age-Herald, March 8, 1909, page 1 The Birmingham Age-Herald, March 8, 1909
• The Paducah Evening Sun, March 8, 1909, page 4 The Paducah Evening Sun, March 8, 1909
• Daily Press, March 9, 1909, page 6 Daily Press, March 9, 1909
• The Hartford Herald, March 10, 1909, page 1 The Hartford Herald, March 10, 1909