Died in jail or a lockup
Benton
Benton, a Black man, was held in the Frankfort county jail in Kentucky when, on the night of August 14, 1894, a mob of several hundred men broke down the jail doors to reach his cell. The jailer refused to give up the keys, according to the Evening Bulletin's report. The mob hanged Benton from the iron bridge over the Kentucky River and then shot his body. The jail and the mob's actions were reported in the newspaper, which named no one who tried to stop them.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A mob broke into the Frankfort county jail, battered down the doors to his cell, and hanged him from the iron bridge over the Kentucky River; the jailer refused to give up the keys.
Reported by: single newspaper report.