Walter Cotton
Walter Cotton, a Black man, was held in the Emporia jail in Greensville County, Virginia. According to the Richmond Dispatch, on March 24, 1900, a mob took him from the jail, hanged him from a tree in front of the courthouse and shot his body, after the state troops guarding the jail had been withdrawn and the jail keys were handed over when the mob asked for them. Judge W. Samuel Goodwyn, as quoted by the Richmond Planet, said he watched the mob take Cotton from the jail and that civil officials were powerless to stop it. The Times said it was openly asserted that the county judge and sheriff had agreed to have the troops sent away so the mob could take him, and the Shenandoah Herald reported that the sheriff and a judge had asked for the troops to be withdrawn while the governor protested.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched (disputed; neglect alleged). Sources say the sheriff and judge agreed to withdraw the state troops guarding the Emporia jail, so the mob could take Walter Cotton, and the governor protested the withdrawal; the Richmond Planet quotes Judge W. Samuel Goodwyn saying he was powerless to stop the mob.
Reported by: Judge W. Samuel Goodwyn, as quoted by the Richmond Planet (court); Richmond dispatch reprinted in the Shenandoah Herald (reporters); The Times (Richmond) editorial (reporters); special dispatch from Richmond, Va., printed in The Chipley Banner (reporters).
News reports (8)
- Richmond Dispatch, March 25, 1900, page 1
- The Times, March 25, 1900, page 4
- Daily Public Ledger, March 26, 1900, page 3
- The Big Stone Gap Post, March 29, 1900, page 1
- Shenandoah Herald, March 30, 1900, page 2
- The Chipley Banner, March 31, 1900, page 1
- Richmond Planet, April 7, 1900, page 5
- Richmond Dispatch, January 16, 1901, page 1