Will Thomas
Will Thomas, a Black man, was being taken by a constable from a magistrate toward the Newberry County jail in November 1912 when a group of masked men stopped them about 14 miles from Newberry. The constable said he fired a warning shot, was threatened, and was ordered to drive on, and then heard about 100 shots. The next morning Thomas's body was found chained by the neck to a tree near the road. The coroner's inquest heard testimony only from the magistrate and the constable.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. The coroner's inquest, the constable's testimony and the Newberry newspaper report say a masked mob stopped the constable taking Will Thomas to the Newberry County jail, shot him and hanged him from a tree.
Reported by: Coroner's inquest (medical examiner or coroner); The constable (the agency that held him); Newberry newspaper report (reporters).