Died in jail or a lockup

John Richards

died January 12, 1916 · Wayne County Detention Center, Wayne County, North Carolina

John Richards was held in the Wayne County jail in Goldsboro, North Carolina. Early on January 12, 1916, a mob of masked men came to the jail after midnight, according to an Associated Press report. Jailer Robert Anderson said he was forced to hand over the cell keys. The mob took Richards to Hooks Bridge and hanged him from a tree, and accounts differ on whether he was shot before or after being hanged. Coroner C. E. Stanley empanelled a jury to investigate the killing.

Cause of death, as reported: Killed by another person in custody

News reports (2)

Hickory Daily Record, January 12, 1916, page 1 Hickory Daily Record, January 12, 1916
The Monroe Journal, January 14, 1916, page 1 The Monroe Journal, January 14, 1916

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