Joe Brinson
Joe Brinson, a Black man about 30 years old, was held in the city jail at Blacksburg in Cherokee County, South Carolina. In the early hours of March 29, 1912, a party of white men forced the jail's back door, took him and another man from the jail, and hanged them from the rafters of an old shanty near the town hall. The Keowee Courier reported that the sheriff of Cherokee County was notified and the solicitor was to investigate. Some townspeople suggested the two men had broken out and killed themselves.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched (disputed). A 1912 Keowee Courier report says a white mob forced the Blacksburg city jail's back door, took Joe Brinson and hanged him, while some townspeople suggested the men had broken out and killed themselves.
Reported by: Keowee Courier (reporters).