Gilbert Francis

Gilbert Francis was a Black man held in the jail at Convent, St. James Parish, Louisiana. Newspaper accounts from the period say a crowd of about 100 men broke into the jail around midnight, took him and another man held there, and hanged them from a beam in front of the courthouse. The accounts date the killing to the night of February 28 or the early hours of March 1, 1896. One report says the bodies remained hanging until the afternoon.

Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A mob took Gilbert Francis from the St. James Parish jail at Convent, Louisiana, and lynched him in front of the courthouse, according to New Orleans dispatches reported by the St. Louis Republic.

Reported by: St. Louis Republic dispatch from New Orleans (reporters).

Sources (10)

• The San Francisco Call, March 1, 1896, page 2 The San Francisco Call, March 1, 1896
• The Herald, March 1, 1896, page 2 The Herald, March 1, 1896
• The Anaconda Standard, March 1, 1896, page 5 The Anaconda Standard, March 1, 1896
• Rock Island Argus, March 2, 1896, page 6 Rock Island Argus, March 2, 1896
• Foster'S Daily Democrat, March 2, 1896, page 6 Foster'S Daily Democrat, March 2, 1896
• The Providence News, March 2, 1896, page 2 The Providence News, March 2, 1896
• Idaho County Free Press, March 6, 1896, page 2 Idaho County Free Press, March 6, 1896
• Dakota Farmers' Leader, March 6, 1896, page 2 Dakota Farmers' Leader, March 6, 1896
• The Pioneer Press, March 12, 1896, page 2 The Pioneer Press, March 12, 1896
• The Herald-Advance, March 13, 1896, page 2 The Herald-Advance, March 13, 1896