Died in jail or a lockup
Chilton Jennings
died July 24, 1919 · Gilmer jail, Upshur County, Texas
Chilton Jennings, a Black man, was held in the jail at Gilmer, Texas. According to newspaper reports from late July 1919, a mob of about 500 men broke the steel jail doors with sledgehammers, took him out on the afternoon of July 24 and hanged him in the courthouse square. One report says he was pronounced dead at 1:55 p.m., after which the crowd dispersed.
Cause of death, as reported: Killed by another person in custody
News reports (5)
- El Paso Herald, July 24, 1919, page 1 El Paso Herald, July 24, 1919
- The Montgomery Advertiser, July 25, 1919, page 3 The Montgomery Advertiser, July 25, 1919
- Pine Bluff Daily Graphic, July 25, 1919, page 4 Pine Bluff Daily Graphic, July 25, 1919
- Pine Bluff Daily Graphic, July 25, 1919, page 1 Pine Bluff Daily Graphic, July 25, 1919
- Richmond Times-Dispatch, July 25, 1919, page 1 Richmond Times-Dispatch, July 25, 1919