Montgomery Godley
Montgomery Godley, a Black man, was held in the jail at Pittsburg, Kansas, when a mob took him from the jail in the early hours of December 25, 1902, and killed him. Newspaper accounts differ on the details: some report that he was hanged, the rope broke, his throat was cut, and he was hanged a second time. A dispatch printed about a week later said the wrong man may have been lynched, that his brother Joe Godley had escaped during the attack and may have been the intended victim, and that Montgomery may have been innocent.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A mob took Montgomery Godley from the Pittsburg, Kansas, jail and hanged him, and the rope broke, so he was hanged again after his throat was cut.
Reported by: Kansas City Times, citing a Pittsburg, Kas. special dispatch (reporters); a special dispatch from Pittsburg, Kansas, as reprinted by The Big Sandy News (reporters).