Lewis Shier

Lewis Shier, a Black man, was one of several men held in the Wetumpka jail in Alabama. On the night of June 16, 1898, a mob broke into the jail and took him from it, along with other men held there. Troops sent from Montgomery arrived too late to stop the jail from being broken open. According to a telephone report carried by The Herald, a mob hanged him the next morning, June 17, about ten miles from Wetumpka.

Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A telephone message from Wetumpka reported that a mob hanged Lewis Shier about ten miles from the jail after taking him from the Wetumpka jail the night before.

Reported by: telephone message from Wetumpka, as reported by the paper; Special dispatch to The Call (reporters).

News reports (4)

• The Houston Daily Post, June 18, 1898, page 4 The Houston Daily Post, June 18, 1898
• The Herald, June 18, 1898, page 2 The Herald, June 18, 1898
• The San Francisco Call, June 18, 1898, page 4 The San Francisco Call, June 18, 1898
• The Richmond Climax, June 22, 1898, page 1 The Richmond Climax, June 22, 1898