Ed Berry
A Black man named Ed Berry was being taken by train from the state penitentiary at McAlester to Shawnee, Oklahoma, for trial when masked men disarmed the deputy sheriff and his escort early on August 6, 1915. The men put a rope around his neck and hanged him from a telephone pole at the scene, in front of a crowd. His body was cut down after daylight and taken to a funeral establishment. Reports said officials had moved him between places since July because they feared he would be lynched.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. Masked men took Ed Barry, Ed Berry and Ed Perry (accounts differ on the spelling) from officers in Shawnee, Oklahoma, and hanged the man from a telephone pole, according to 1915 news reports.
Reported by: 1915 news account naming Ed Barry (reporters); 1915 news account naming Ed Berry (reporters); 1915 news dispatch naming Ed Perry (reporters).