Isaac Kemp

Isaac Kemp, a Black man, was held in the jail at Cape Charles, Virginia, when a mob of about 400 men took him out and shot him to death on the morning of June 8, 1894, according to a wire report. The killing was linked to the death of a deputy sheriff in Westover, Maryland, the day before. One later account places Kemp among a group of Virginia men held in the Princess Anne jail in Somerset County, Maryland, after a constable was killed, and says a party of men broke open that jail and lynched him.

Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A mob of about 400 men took Isaac Kemp from the jail at Cape Charles, Virginia, and shot him, according to a 1894 special telegram; the report does not say whether jail staff resisted or handed him over.

Reported by: The Durham Daily Globe, citing a special telegram (reporters).

News reports (8)

• San Antonio Daily Light, June 8, 1894, page 1 San Antonio Daily Light, June 8, 1894
• Alexandria Gazette, June 8, 1894, page 2 Alexandria Gazette, June 8, 1894
• The Durham Daily Globe, June 8, 1894, page 1 The Durham Daily Globe, June 8, 1894
• Daily Public Ledger, June 9, 1894, page 3 Daily Public Ledger, June 9, 1894
• The Big Stone Gap Post, June 14, 1894, page 4 The Big Stone Gap Post, June 14, 1894
• The Grenada Sentinel, June 16, 1894, page 2 The Grenada Sentinel, June 16, 1894
• Peninsula Enterprise, June 16, 1894, page 3 Peninsula Enterprise, June 16, 1894
• Fisherman & Farmer, June 22, 1894, page 1 Fisherman & Farmer, June 22, 1894