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Died in jail or a lockup

Tom Clark

died September 26, 1902 · Alcorn County Regional Correctional Facility, Alcorn County, Mississippi

Tom Clark, a Black man, was held in the jail at Corinth, Mississippi, in September 1902. A committee of twelve citizens decided he should die, and a posse of armed men took him from the jail on the afternoon of Sunday, September 28, while a crowd one paper estimated at more than 5,000 followed. He was burned at a stake at the edge of town near the cemetery, and some papers reported that many citizens had wanted him hanged instead. Before he died he asked for a farewell visit from his mother and brother, who lived in Memphis, and asked that a letter be delivered to them, urging his brother to raise his children properly.

Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. According to 1902 newspaper reports, an armed posse took him from the Corinth jail and a crowd burned him at a stake near the city's negro cemetery.

Reported by: Springfield Weekly Republican (reporters); The Worcester Spy (reporters); The Coalville Times (reporters); Shoshone Journal (reporters).

Sources (24)

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