John Figures
John Figures, a Black man, was held in the jail at Minden, Louisiana, in July 1885. According to a Times-Democrat dispatch from Minden, a mob of about one hundred horsemen took over the town late on the night of July 21, and forced the jailer to surrender his keys. The cell keys were held by the sheriff, who was not at home, and the cell locks resisted the mob's efforts to force them open. John and the other man held with him were shot inside the jail.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A Times-Democrat special dispatch from Minden reports that a mob of about one hundred horsemen took the jailer's keys and shot John Figures in his cell after the cell locks held.
Reported by: Times-Democrat special dispatch from Minden (reporters).