Died in custody
Ben Patterson
Ben Patterson was in the custody of Coroner F. M. Mills when, according to the Marianna Index as reprinted in The Forrest City Times, he was taken from the coroner and shot during a disturbance the article called a riot. The reprint, published October 9, 1891, said that accounts of the affair from other places were greatly exaggerated. The death is dated October 7, 1891, the day before that report appeared in print.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. The Marianna Index reported that a mob took Ben Patterson from Coroner F. M. Mills and shot him during a riot.
Reported by: Marianna Index (reprinted in The Forrest City Times) (reporters).