Died in jail or a lockup
Name not reported
A young Black man was being held in the jail at Tupelo, Mississippi, in April 1896, and his name is not recorded in the Forrest City Times account of his death. Early one morning, a mob went to the sheriff's house, overpowered him with shotguns, marched him to the jail and forced him to hand over the keys. The men then took the young man from the jail and killed him in front of the courthouse. The paper reported that the men wore masks and that their identities were unknown.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A mob took the young man from the Tupelo jail, forced the sheriff to hand over the keys, and hanged him in front of the courthouse.
Reported by: historical newspaper report.