Cummings

Cummings, a Black man, was held in the Mojave jail in California in March 1904, when a crowd gathered at the unguarded jail and took him out during the night. Several newspapers report that the mob meant to tar and feather him, and that he was shot and clubbed to death during the struggle. A later editorial says he was shot dead while kneeling before the men and that three men were arrested as the chief agents of the killing. Whether jail officers resisted, gave up the keys, or handed him over is not stated in these accounts.

Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. The Wichita Daily Eagle editorial says a gang of lynch-law men took Cummings from the Mojave jail and shot him dead while he knelt before them.

Reported by: The Wichita Daily Eagle (reporters).

Sources (12)

• The Montgomery Advertiser, March 13, 1904, page 22 The Montgomery Advertiser, March 13, 1904
• The Birmingham Age-Herald, March 13, 1904, page 1 The Birmingham Age-Herald, March 13, 1904
• The Indianapolis Journal, March 13, 1904, page 1 The Indianapolis Journal, March 13, 1904
• The Paducah Sun, March 14, 1904, page 3 The Paducah Sun, March 14, 1904
• Semi-Weekly Interior Journal, March 15, 1904, page 1 Semi-Weekly Interior Journal, March 15, 1904
• The Aberdeen Weekly, March 18, 1904, page 1 The Aberdeen Weekly, March 18, 1904
• The Newark Journal, March 18, 1904, page 6 The Newark Journal, March 18, 1904
• Cotter Courier, March 18, 1904, page 4 Cotter Courier, March 18, 1904
• The Wichita Daily Eagle, March 24, 1904, page 4 The Wichita Daily Eagle, March 24, 1904
• The Starkville News, March 25, 1904, page 8 The Starkville News, March 25, 1904
• The Commonwealth, March 26, 1904, page 7 The Commonwealth, March 26, 1904
• The Osceola Times, March 26, 1904, page 5 The Osceola Times, March 26, 1904