Died in jail or a lockup
Name not reported
Martin, a Black man, was held in a jail in Michigan when a mob took him from his cell in the early morning of May 27, 1889, and hanged him in the street. According to The Stark County Democrat, masked men demanded the jail keys, and when the turnkey refused to hand them over, they seized him and dragged him into the street. The sheriff fired shots into the air, but the mob forced its way into the jail and took Martin out. The paper reported that public sentiment in the town was divided over the killing.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A mob took Martin from the Michigan jail, hanged him in the street, and forced the turnkey to give up the keys after the sheriff fired shots into the air.
Reported by: news reports.