Hopkins County, TX | John Williams Lynching

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A SOUTHERN TRAGEDY.

The Slayer of a Texan and His Wife Lynched by a Mob.

GREENVILLE, Tex., June 29.--At 9 o'clock Wednesday night while Albert Waits and his wife were walking near their home at Sulphur Springs 60 miles east of here, they were fired on by John Williams. Mrs. Waits was killed instantly and Mr. Waits died a few hours later. They were prominent people and had only been married a short time. Williams had been in their employ, but was discharged for stealing. A posse pursued the murderer and captured him near Weaver. They returned to Sulphur Springs Thursday morning. An attempt was made early in the morning by an angry mob to take the prisoner from Sheriff Williams and posse, but they were defeated. The prisoner was taken to the upper floor of the Henderson building and guarded by a dozen armed men. A brother of the murdered man arrived from Greenville at 8 o'clock p. m. and as soon as he appeared his friends asked: "what do you want to do?" Waits replied "Have you a rope?" That was enough. The mob rushed up the stairway, overpowered the guards and putting a rope around the negro's neck, dragged him down the stairs to the street. He was swung up to a telegraph pole in front of the First national bank.
Supplement to Daily Journal, Sunday, July 1, 1894 - An Indiana newspaper

There is a John Williams listed in the 1880 Hopkins County Census, Precinct 2, District 57, page 10. He is the son of Niles Williams and/or Patsey Williams. This John Williams was born in 1870, in Texas. His father was from Mississippi, his mother from Arkansas.