Stephen Williams
Stephen Williams, a Black man about 23 years old, was held in the county jail at Upper Marlboro, Maryland. According to the Evening Star, his father, James Williams, came to the jail on the morning of October 20, 1894, to bring him clothes and found him dead. Early that morning, according to several newspaper accounts, a crowd of masked men came to the jail, took him from his cell and hanged him from an iron bridge near the jail. One report says a bullet hole was found near his heart, and accounts differ on how the men got in: some say the jailer refused to surrender the keys and was overpowered, others that the doors were battered down. A coroner's jury returned a verdict of death at the hands of unknown parties.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A coroner's jury found he died at the hands of unknown parties after a mob took him from the Upper Marlboro jail and hanged him, and the jailer reportedly refused to surrender the keys before being overpowered.
Reported by: coroner's jury (medical examiner or coroner); Alexandria Gazette (Upper Marlboro dispatch) (reporters); Staunton Spectator (reporters); Weekly Tribune dispatch (reporters).
Custody: Awaiting trial.
Sources (10)
- Alexandria Gazette, October 20, 1894, page 2
- Evening Star, October 20, 1894, page 1
- Santa Fe Daily New Mexican, October 20, 1894, page 1
- The Times, October 21, 1894, page 1
- The Wilmington Daily Republican, October 22, 1894, page 2
- The News & Observer, October 23, 1894, page 1
- Staunton Spectator, October 24, 1894, page 3
- Staunton Spectator, October 24, 1894, page 2
- The State Herald, October 26, 1894, page 3
- The Weekly Tribune, October 26, 1894, page 3