Died in prison
Thomas Hale
Thomas Hale, a Black man, died at the penitentiary in Columbus, Ohio, of opium poisoning, according to a newspaper report published November 3, 1904. Authorities suspected that a fellow prisoner had murdered him and believed the poison was put in his food. A second paper printed the same account of the suspected poisoning on the same day.
Cause of death, as reported: Killed by another person in custody. Authorities suspect a fellow prisoner put opium poison in his food.
Reported by: authorities.