Priest Niles
Priest Niles, a Black man, was being held in the county jail in Ocala, Florida, when, according to The Ocala Banner, a crowd of about a hundred armed men came for him on November 14, 1912. The paper reported that the jailer was forced to hand over the cell keys, and that the men put Niles in an automobile and drove him about two miles north of town. There, they shot him many times and left his body by the road. The paper said officers had denied knowing where he was, and it reported that his clothing was set on fire after he was shot, which the paper thought came from gunfire at close range.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A crowd of about a hundred armed men took Priest Niles from the Ocala county jail, shot him many times and left his body by the road, according to The Ocala Banner.
Reported by: The Ocala Banner (reporters).