Died in jail or a lockup
Alex Jones
Alex Jones, a Black man, was held in the Elkhorn jail in West Virginia and was being taken by train toward Huntington with officers guarding him. According to The Roanoke Daily Times, on January 28, 1896, about one hundred men boarded the train at Hemphill and, at gunpoint, forced the officers to give him up. The mob dragged him a short distance and killed him, and the paper reported that his body was riddled with bullets. The paper also reported that friends of Jones tried to rescue him but failed.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A mob boarded the train at Hemphill, forced the guarding officers at gunpoint to give Alex Jones up, and killed him.
Reported by: news reports.