Died in jail or a lockup
Bruce Younger
Bruce Younger, a Black man, was held in the jail at Halifax Courthouse, Virginia, when a party of armed men broke in around midnight on July 27, 1888. According to a Richmond Dispatch special telegram, the sheriff and a small guard were overpowered, and the men took him to a footbridge over Toot's Creek and hanged him. The newspaper's account of his last words could not be verified.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. An armed mob broke into the Halifax Courthouse jail, overpowered the sheriff and guards, took Bruce Younger and hanged him from a footbridge over Toot's Creek, according to a Richmond Dispatch telegram.
Reported by: Richmond Dispatch special telegram (reporters).