Died in jail or a lockup
Newlin Porter
Newlin Porter was one of two men taken from the jail in Starkville, Mississippi, by a group of armed men on a Saturday night in May 1879, according to a telegram to the Memphis Ledger reprinted in the Knoxville Daily Chronicle. The account says the mob hanged him. The telegram does not say whether jail officers resisted, gave up the keys or handed the men over.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. The Memphis Ledger, citing a special telegram from Starkville, reported that a group of armed men took Newlin Porter from a jail and hanged him.
Reported by: Memphis Ledger (special telegram from Starkville) (reporters).