In the early morning hours of April 12, 1905, in Senatobia, Mississippi, the life of Tate County Sheriff John Macon Poag, a male, was tragically cut short. Awakened by a noise outside the county jail where he and his family resided, Sheriff Poag went to investigate. A voice from outside identified himself as a local man, Bob Pickle, claiming to have a prisoner.
Suspicious, but ultimately relenting, the sheriff unbarred the door.
Upon opening the door, he was confronted not by a local farmer, but by a crowd of masked men, one of whom pointed a shotgun directly at him. Sheriff Poag instinctively drew his pistol and fired into the group. The mob immediately returned fire, striking the sheriff. He staggered back into his residence within the jail, crying out that he had been shot twice, as his horrified wife and children screamed.
Several local doctors rushed to the scene to attend to the gravely wounded sheriff. They found he had suffered a shattered bone in his right arm and a severe wound to his right side, which they believed had penetrated his lung. Despite the physicians' efforts and their pleas for him to remain quiet, Sheriff Poag continued to speak, convinced of his impending death. His premonition proved true, and he succumbed to his injuries at 6:45 a.m.
The brazen murder of the sheriff was an attempt by the mob to liberate a suspect being held for murder. In the end, their violent efforts were in vain, as they fled without the prisoner. In the aftermath of the shooting, thirteen men were charged with the murder of Sheriff Poag. However, contemporary newspaper reports indicated that most, if not all, of the accused ultimately escaped punishment for their roles in the deadly assault.
