James Gillespie

Harrison and James Gillespie, sources differ on their ages but most give 16 and 14, were held in the Salisbury jail in Rowan County, North Carolina, in June 1902. Early on June 11, a mob of about fifty to sixty masked men broke into the jail, found the two boys hidden in the attic, and took them about a mile to a railroad yard, where they were hanged from a tree and then shot many times. Mayor Boyden had appealed to the crowd, and a militia company authorized by the governor had disbanded before the attack; one account says no resistance was made at the jail, while another says the guard could not protect the prisoners. Governor Aycock offered rewards for the arrest and conviction of those responsible, and a report cited in the press said evidence suggested at least one of the young men was innocent of the accusation against him.

Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. Governor Aycock's report says a mob took him from the Salisbury jail and lynched him, and the governor offered rewards for those responsible.

Reported by: Governor Aycock.

News reports (11)

• San Antonio Daily Light, June 11, 1902, page 1 San Antonio Daily Light, June 11, 1902
• Americus Times-Recorder, June 12, 1902, page 1 Americus Times-Recorder, June 12, 1902
• Atlanta Semi-Weekly Journal, June 12, 1902, page 2 Atlanta Semi-Weekly Journal, June 12, 1902
• The Evening Bulletin, June 12, 1902, page 1 The Evening Bulletin, June 12, 1902
• The Times, June 12, 1902, page 3 The Times, June 12, 1902
• The Montgomery Advertiser, June 19, 1902, page 1 The Montgomery Advertiser, June 19, 1902
• Oxford Eagle, June 19, 1902, page 4 Oxford Eagle, June 19, 1902
• Paris Express, June 19, 1902, page 2 Paris Express, June 19, 1902
• The Osceola Times, June 21, 1902, page 2 The Osceola Times, June 21, 1902
• Crittenden Press, June 26, 1902, page 2 Crittenden Press, June 26, 1902
• Crittenden Press, June 26, 1902, page 3 Crittenden Press, June 26, 1902