Will Leaphart
Will Leaphart, a Black man, was held in the Lexington jail in South Carolina when a mob killed him in early May 1890. Sheriff Drafts telegraphed the governor that a posse broke down the door of his sleeping quarters, took the keys from him by force, opened the jail and shot Leaphart in his cell. A witness said the men went cell by cell until they reached his, and that he fought back with an iron rod before being shot many times. The Evening Star reported that the sheriff was overpowered. A coroner's jury was impaneled to view the body.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. Sheriff Drafts telegraphed the governor that a mob broke into the Lexington jail, took his keys by force and shot Will Leaphart, and a witness said the men went straight to his cell.
Reported by: Sheriff G. S. Drafts of Lexington, in a telegram to the governor (the agency that held him); a witness; Evening Star news report (reporters).