Will Johnson

Will Johnson was a Black man held in the Hemphill jail in Sabine County, Texas, in June 1908. Around midnight on June 21, a crowd of about 150 armed men came to the jail, overpowered the sheriff after he refused to give up his keys, and took six Black men from the building. The Associated Press dispatch reports that Will Johnson was hanged from a tree, and the Waxahachie Daily Light reported that five of the men were hanged from a tree near the jail while one was shot as he ran.

Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A mob took Will Johnson from the Hemphill jail in Sabine County, Texas, and hanged him from a tree along with other men held there, as reported in 1908 newspaper accounts.

Reported by: Associated Press dispatch (reporters); Houston dispatch reprinted in the Ocala Evening Star (reporters); newspaper wire report.

Sources (6)

• The Waxahachie Daily Light, June 23, 1908, page 1 The Waxahachie Daily Light, June 23, 1908
• The Pensacola Journal, June 23, 1908, page 1 The Pensacola Journal, June 23, 1908
• The Ocala Evening Star, June 23, 1908, page 3 The Ocala Evening Star, June 23, 1908
• Waterbury Evening Democrat, June 23, 1908, page 7 Waterbury Evening Democrat, June 23, 1908
• The Washington Bee, July 4, 1908, page 4 The Washington Bee, July 4, 1908
• The Washington Bee, July 25, 1908, page 1 The Washington Bee, July 25, 1908