Henry Tanner

Henry Tanner, a Black man, was one of three men held in the Oxford jail in Granville County, North Carolina. On the early morning of Sunday, September 2, 1888, a masked mob of about fifty to one hundred men broke into the sheriff's office, took the jail keys, opened the jail and removed him and two others. The Richmond Dispatch reported that the men were hanged from a post-oak tree, while The Evening Bulletin reported that the men were found hanged the next morning. A coroner's jury was investigating, and the reports say the sheriff's office had its keys taken and that the lynchers had not been identified.

Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched

Reported by: coroner's jury (medical examiner or coroner); news reports.

News reports (4)

• The Morning News, September 4, 1888, page 1 The Morning News, September 4, 1888
• Alexandria Gazette, September 4, 1888, page 2 Alexandria Gazette, September 4, 1888
• Richmond Dispatch, September 4, 1888, page 4 Richmond Dispatch, September 4, 1888
• The Evening Bulletin, September 5, 1888, page 1 The Evening Bulletin, September 5, 1888