1865-08-05
Chatham, NC
Alleged offense: Unrecorded
Race: Black
Gender: Male
Age: Unrecorded
Legal intervention (in alleged offense): No
Legal intervention (following lynching): Unrecorded
Mob size: Unreported
Mob members: John Thomas Mallory
Alleged victim: Unrecorded
Household Status: Unknown
Occupation: Unrecorded
An African American man named Richard Cotton was held for an Unrecorded offense in Pittsboro county jail and received a severe punishment by order of the state. While newspaper accounts are unclear about whether or not Cotton was killed, they agree that an “outrage” occurred at the hands of local authorities. According to these reports, Cotton’s jailor, John Mallory, had been ordered to give Cotton “10 lashes at 10 o’clock 20 at 12 o’clock & 9 ashes at 2 o’clock well laid on” as well as put a barrel over Cotton’s head and afterwards tie him up “by the thumbs.” This punishment, reportedly from “Gov. Holden’s Justice of the Peace” in Chatham County resulted in the arrest of those who gave the orders for and administered Cotton’s punishment.
Documentation
Death certificate: None available
Census:
1860 Slave Schedule for Stephen W. Cotton
News coverage:
Location
Town: Pittsboro
Latitude/Longitude: 35.720260, -79.177153
Rationale:County Center
Additional Resources: None