Roper (alias McGhee)
Roper, also known as McGhee, was held in the jail at Columbia, Texas, and on the morning of November 27, 1877, a mob took him from it, according to a dispatch from Columbia reprinted in the Ottumwa Weekly Courier. The dispatch says the mob made several attempts to lynch him on the spot before agreeing to take him away. They then took him to the courthouse and hanged him from its third story in front of about 2,000 people. The dispatch describes no response from the jail's officers.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A special dispatch from Columbia, Texas, reported that a mob took Roper from the jail and hanged him from the courthouse's third story before about 2,000 people.
Reported by: Special dispatch from Columbia, Texas, reprinted in the Nashville report (reporters).