Died in jail or a lockup
Lewis Thompson
Lewis Thompson, a Black man, was held in the jail at Iuka, Mississippi, in July 1875. On the night of Tuesday, July 20, 1875, a group of disguised men, some white and some Black according to the Memphis Daily Appeal, came to the jail. The jailer first refused to give up the keys and then did so under compulsion. The men went to Thompson's cell, put a rope around his neck, dragged him out and hanged him from a tree near the depot.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched
Reported by: historical newspaper account of the Iuka, Mississippi lynching (reporters).