OM Owens

OM Owens, a Black man, was held in the Tulsa jail. In the early hours of August 29, 1920, a mob of about 200 people stormed the jail, and three armed guards posted there by the sheriff fired on the crowd until they ran out of ammunition and surrendered him. The mob put him in an automobile, drove him out of town and hanged him from a billboard on the state highway. Police who pursued the mob in another car could not catch up with it.

Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A mob of about 200 stormed the Tulsa jail, where armed guards placed by the sheriff fired until they ran out of ammunition and surrendered the prisoner, then hanged him from a billboard on the state highway.

Reported by: news reports.

News reports (2)

• The Washington Times, August 29, 1920, page 1 The Washington Times, August 29, 1920
• The Washington Herald, August 30, 1920, page 1 The Washington Herald, August 30, 1920