Sidney Randolph

Sidney Randolph, a Black man, was held in the Montgomery County Jail in Rockville, Maryland, in July 1896. Early on July 4, a mob of masked men, estimated by newspapers at twenty to forty, came to the jail, and newspaper accounts say the jailer was confronted at revolver point and handed over the keys. The mob unlocked Randolph's cell, took him out and hanged him outside Rockville, though accounts differ on the exact spot, with some naming a chestnut tree and others the Frederick pike. The Record-Union reported that he protested his innocence and begged for his life before he died.

Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A masked mob took Randolph from the Rockville jail, where the jailer was forced at revolver point to hand over the keys, and hanged him near town.

Reported by: Gaithersburg correspondent and other newspaper accounts (reporters).

News reports (10)

• Birmingham State Herald, July 5, 1896, page 2 Birmingham State Herald, July 5, 1896
• San Antonio Daily Light, July 5, 1896, page 1 San Antonio Daily Light, July 5, 1896
• The Norfolk Virginian, July 5, 1896, page 1 The Norfolk Virginian, July 5, 1896
• Richmond Dispatch, July 5, 1896, page 1 Richmond Dispatch, July 5, 1896
• The Times, July 5, 1896, page 11 The Times, July 5, 1896
• The Record-Union, July 5, 1896, page 1 The Record-Union, July 5, 1896
• The San Francisco Call, July 5, 1896, page 3 The San Francisco Call, July 5, 1896
• Alexandria Gazette, July 6, 1896, page 2 Alexandria Gazette, July 6, 1896
• The San Francisco Call, July 7, 1896, page 4 The San Francisco Call, July 7, 1896
• Fisherman & Farmer, July 10, 1896, page 1 Fisherman & Farmer, July 10, 1896