Simon Brooks

Simon Brooks, a Black man, was held in the jail at Sardis, Mississippi, in June 1899. Newspaper reports from the period say a mob of about 500 people came to the jail between midnight and dawn, took him from his cell and killed him, with one paper saying the mob overpowered the officers in charge and another saying it hanged him from a tree within the town limits. The reports give June 11 or June 12, 1899 as the date.

Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A mob of about 500 people took Simon Brooks from the jail at Sardis, Mississippi, and killed him, according to 1899 newspaper accounts.

Reported by: news reports.

News reports (7)

• The Houston Daily Post, June 12, 1899, page 2 The Houston Daily Post, June 12, 1899
• Daily Public Ledger, June 12, 1899, page 3 Daily Public Ledger, June 12, 1899
• The Weekly Corinthian, June 14, 1899, page 1 The Weekly Corinthian, June 14, 1899
• Owingsville Outlook, June 15, 1899, page 3 Owingsville Outlook, June 15, 1899
• The Hickman Courier, June 16, 1899, page 2 The Hickman Courier, June 16, 1899
• The Hickman Courier, June 16, 1899, page 3 The Hickman Courier, June 16, 1899
• The Grenada Sentinel, June 24, 1899, page 2 The Grenada Sentinel, June 24, 1899