Name not reported
Johnson, a Black man, was held in the jail in Chattanooga, Tennessee, when a mob took him from the building and lynched him in 1905. In an opinion reported in 1909, Chief Justice Fuller wrote that most of the deputies had left the jail during the mob's action and that Sheriff Shipp made no real effort to resist the mob or to pursue those responsible. The Supreme Court concluded that Shipp had aided the lynching. According to the article, the sheriff and others were punished for contempt of court rather than for taking part in the killing.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. The Supreme Court's chief justice wrote that a mob took Johnson from the Chattanooga jail and lynched him, and that Sheriff Shipp made no real effort to resist or pursue them.
Reported by: United States Supreme Court (Chief Justice Fuller's opinion, as reported) (court).