Nelse Patton
Nelse Patton, a Black man, was held in the jail at Oxford, Mississippi, on September 8, 1908. Newspaper reports say a mob broke into the jail, took him from custody and hanged him from a tree, and that county officials had urged restraint and promised a speedy trial before the crowd came. Former U.S. Senator W. V. Sullivan told reporters that he led the mob, urged it to storm the jail, and gave a revolver to a deputy sheriff who fired it at Patton. A coroner's jury found that he died at the hands of parties unknown to it.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched (disputed). A mob broke into the Oxford, Mississippi jail, took Nelse Patton from custody and hanged him; former U.S. Senator W. V. Sullivan says he led the mob and that a deputy sheriff shot Patton, while a coroner's jury returned a verdict that he died at the hands of unknown parties.
Reported by: Coroner's jury, Oxford, Miss. (medical examiner or coroner); former U.S. Senator W. V. Sullivan; news reports.
News reports (11)
- The Birmingham Age-Herald, September 9, 1908, page 1
- The Montgomery Advertiser, September 9, 1908, page 1
- Okolona Messenger, September 9, 1908, page 1
- The Hattiesburg News, September 9, 1908, page 1
- The Birmingham Age-Herald, September 10, 1908, page 1
- The Montgomery Advertiser, September 10, 1908, page 1
- The Hattiesburg News, September 10, 1908, page 1
- The Waxahachie Daily Light, September 10, 1908, page 1
- The Pensacola Journal, September 10, 1908, page 1
- The Savannah Tribune, September 12, 1908, page 4
- The Ocala Evening Star, September 12, 1908, page 1