Ben Hawkins
Ben Hawkins, a Black man, was held in the jail at Franklin, Robertson County, Texas, when a mob of about 100 people came to the jail, according to the Indianapolis Journal. The mob first demanded the keys the night before, and the jailer refused to hand them over. The mob then forced its way into the jail, took Hawkins and hanged him from a tree on or about February 4, 1885. Two judges who went to the jail and urged the crowd to disperse were placed under armed guard, as was the jailer, until the killing was finished.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A mob of about 100 forced its way into the Franklin, Robertson County, Texas jail after the jailer refused to surrender the keys, took Ben Hawkins and hanged him from a tree.
Reported by: the jailer at Franklin, Robertson County, Texas (the agency that held him); newspaper accounts of the 1885 Franklin lynching (reporters).