Robert Phoenix
Robert Phoenix was one of eight Black men held in the Barnwell County jail in South Carolina. Before dawn on December 28, 1889, a masked mob broke into the jail, bound or overpowered the jailer, and took the men out of town, where they were shot dead. Accounts put the crowd at about 200 men in one report and several hundred in another. A Barnwell citizens' advisory committee condemned the killings, and the governor was asked for troops to keep the peace.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A masked mob of several hundred broke into the Barnwell County jail before dawn, overpowered the jailer and shot the men it took, including Robert Phoenix.
Reported by: Barnwell citizens' advisory committee statement; Barnwell newspaper account (Fisherman & Farmer, reprinting regional reports) (reporters).