Will James

Will James, a Black man, was held in the Cairo jail in Illinois in November 1909. A mob took him from custody, hanged him from a public arch, and shot him after the rope broke, and his body was dragged through the streets and burned. The Virginia Gazette reported that Sheriff Frank Davis tried to save him, while a 2022 Chicago Crusader article said two officers first moved him to another jail before men followed on a freight train, overpowered the officers and took him back to Cairo.

Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A mob seized Will James from sheriff's officers near Karnak, Illinois, hanged him from a public arch in Cairo, shot him, and burned his body.

Reported by: news reports.

News reports (5)

• The Montgomery Advertiser, November 12, 1909, page 1 The Montgomery Advertiser, November 12, 1909
• The Sentinel=Record, November 12, 1909, page 4 The Sentinel=Record, November 12, 1909
• The Carlisle Independent, November 18, 1909, page 2 The Carlisle Independent, November 18, 1909
• Virginia Gazette, November 18, 1909, page 7 Virginia Gazette, November 18, 1909
• Illinois experienced more lynchings than most Midwestern states The Chicago Crusader, March 1, 2022