Claude Chandler
Claude Chandler, a Black man, was held in the jail in Oklahoma City. On the night of Sunday, August 29, 1920, a mob of about 30 masked men took him from the jail and carried him to the outskirts of the city, where they hanged him. His body was found the next morning hanging from a tree near Council Grove, about eight miles west of the city. One account says the jailer was removed without violence and that the mob left no clue to its members' identities. Governor J. B. A. Robertson wrote that the sheriff was either in collusion with the mob leaders or unfit for the job, and he directed that the Tulsa and Oklahoma county sheriffs be removed from office.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched (neglect alleged). Governor J. B. A. Robertson said the sheriff was either in collusion with the mob or unfit for his duties, and called the jailers' excuses poor excuses.
Reported by: Oklahoma County sheriff's office (the agency that held him); Governor J. B. A. Robertson; news reports.