Preston "John" Porter Jr.
Preston "John" Porter Jr. had come to Colorado from Lawrence, Kansas, with his father and brother to seek work on the railroad, according to newspaper accounts and the Colorado Lynching Memorial Project. He was being held in the Denver city jail, and on November 16, 1900, while Sheriff Freeman of Lincoln County was taking him by train toward Hugo, a group of men boarded the train near Lake Station and took him away. One account says the sheriff protested in the name of the law and was disregarded, another says he was overpowered, and a third reports that he strongly opposed the killing. Accounts say Porter read a Bible and prayed before he was burned to death near Limon, and that he asked God to forgive those responsible. The coroner recorded his death as at the hands of parties unknown, and according to the Equal Justice Initiative no investigation was conducted.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A mob of about 300 people took him from Sheriff Freeman and burned him at a stake near Limon, and the coroner recorded his death as caused by parties unknown, according to the Semi-Weekly Messenger and the Colorado Lynching Memorial Project's summaries of the Denver Times and Los Angeles Herald.
Reported by: coroner; The Semi-Weekly Messenger (reporters); Denver Times and Los Angeles Herald (reporters); Colorado Lynching Memorial Project (advocates).