Willie Spain

Willie Spain, a 21-year-old Black man from North Carolina, was held in the jail at St. George, Dorchester County, South Carolina, in August 1906. A posse of forty or fifty men went to the sheriff, obtained the jail keys, and took him from the jail to an oak tree near St. George, where he was hanged and shot. The sheriff surrendered the keys to the mob. The governor's telegraphed order to stop the lynching arrived too late.

Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched (neglect alleged). A posse of forty or fifty men took him from the St. George jail after the sheriff surrendered the keys, and the Associated Press reported that the governor's order to stop the lynching came too late.

Reported by: Associated Press report (reporters).

News reports (8)

• The Montgomery Advertiser, August 24, 1906, page 1 The Montgomery Advertiser, August 24, 1906
• The Waxahachie Daily Light, August 24, 1906, page 3 The Waxahachie Daily Light, August 24, 1906
• Daily Press, August 24, 1906, page 1 Daily Press, August 24, 1906
• Americus Times-Recorder, August 25, 1906, page 1 Americus Times-Recorder, August 25, 1906
• Bryan Morning Eagle, August 25, 1906, page 1 Bryan Morning Eagle, August 25, 1906
• Gainesville Daily Sun, August 26, 1906, page 1 Gainesville Daily Sun, August 26, 1906
• The Caucasian, August 30, 1906, page 1 The Caucasian, August 30, 1906
• The Tupelo Journal, August 31, 1906, page 6 The Tupelo Journal, August 31, 1906