Died in jail or a lockup
Samuel Wells
Samuel Wells, a Black man, was held in the Shelbyville jail in Bedford County, Tennessee, in October 1871. According to the Alpena Weekly Argus, after dark a group of men took him and another prisoner from the guards and hanged them. The paper reports that a notice pinned to the bodies warned officials not to cut them down, on pain of the same fate.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A group of men took Samuel Wells and another prisoner from the guards and hanged them, according to the account.
Reported by: news reports.