Judge Jones
Judge Jones was a Black man held at the Barnwell County jail in South Carolina, one of eight men held there. On the morning of Saturday, December 28, 1889, a masked mob took him and the others from the jail and shot them to death a short distance from the town. The jailer, Neville, said he refused to unlock the inner gate until the mob threatened him with pistols, while another account says he was bound. Local leaders condemned the killings, and the governor was asked to send troops to keep the peace.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A masked mob took the men from the Barnwell County jail and shot them, and the jailer was bound or forced to unlock the cells, according to the accounts.
Reported by: Barnwell citizens' advisory committee statement; Barnwell County jailer Neville (the agency that held him); newspaper reporting on the Barnwell killings (reporters).