William Burnett
William Burnett was held in the Granville County jail in Oxford, North Carolina, awaiting trial. The Gold Leaf reported that about fifty masked men came to the jail in the early hours of November 15, 1892, forced the jailer, D. A. Moore, to take them to the cells, and removed Burnett from his cell. Other accounts say the men came late on November 14 and that the jailer was forced to open the jail under threat of death. Burnett's body was found hanging from a pine tree on the edge of town, and the papers report that townspeople condemned the killing and that a coroner held an inquest.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A mob of about fifty masked men took William Burnett from the Oxford jail and hanged him, according to The Day as quoted by The Gold Leaf, the News and Observer, and citizens' resolutions; the jailer was forced to open the jail.
Reported by: The Day, as quoted by The Gold Leaf (reporters); News and Observer special dispatch from Oxford (reporters); Coroner Renn's inquest (medical examiner or coroner); citizens of Oxford, in resolutions forwarded to Governor Thomas M. Holt (advocates).