Mcbeth Barnett was born around 1857 in North Carolina. Barnett worked as a laborer and resided in Caswell County, North Carolina. Barnett was charged with larceny on October 7, 1874, and sentenced to two years in the North Carolina State Penitentiary. Barnett was recorded in the North Carolina State Penitentiary's Descriptive Register for the Years 1869-1884 as prisoner number 940. In his sentencing records, Barnett’s race is noted as "colored."  Barnett was seventeen years old when he was arrested. He was noted as possessing no formal education, meaning he could not read or write at that time. During his incarceration, Barnett was leased to the Western North Carolina Railroad Company to work on railroad construction. He was discharged from the railroad on August 11, 1876.