Died in jail or a lockup
John Willis
John Willis was one of three Black men held in the jail at Tuscumbia, Alabama, in April 1894. On April 21, 1894, a masked mob of about 200 men got the jailer out of the building and took the keys from his wife. The mob entered the cells and led the men, John Willis among them, to the Tennessee River bridge, where they were hanged and then shot. Responsibility for the deaths rests with the mob that took them from the custody of the jail.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A masked mob of about 200 men took the jailer out of the Tuscumbia, Alabama jail, took the keys from his wife, entered the cells and hanged John Willis at the Tennessee River bridge, then shot him.
Reported by: news reports.