William Burris
William Burris, a Black man, was held in the jail at Cumberland, Maryland. Early on Sunday, October 6, 1907, a mob of about 100 men, some of them disguised, broke into the jail using a telegraph pole as a battering ram, while only a deputy sheriff was on duty. According to the Dakota Farmers' Leader, other prisoners guided the men to Burris's cell, where they found him behind his cot, dragged him into the corridor, and kicked and shot him to death. The paper called it the first lynching in Cumberland's history.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A mob of about 100 men broke into the Cumberland, Md. jail, found William Burris in his cell, dragged him into the corridor and kicked and shot him to death, with only a deputy sheriff on duty that night.
Reported by: news reports.