Lee Staten
Lee Staten, a Black man, was held in the Monroe jail in Monroe, North Carolina. Before dawn on March 10, 1885, a mob of about one hundred men forced its way into the jail. The Charlotte Observer reported that Sheriff Horne was tricked into opening the door, overpowered, and made to give up the keys. The mob took Staten from his cell and hanged him from a pine tree at the edge of town. The sheriff followed with a posse but arrived too late, after the mob had dispersed.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A mob of about one hundred men forced its way into the Monroe jail, overpowered Sheriff Horne, took the keys and removed Staten from his cell before hanging him from a pine tree, according to the Charlotte Observer.
Reported by: Charlotte Observer (reprinted in The Farmer And Mechanic) (reporters).