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Died in jail or a lockup

Carl Etherington

22 years old · died July 8, 1910 · Licking County Justice Center, Licking County, Ohio

Carl Etherington, a 22-year-old Kentuckian from a farming family near Willisburg, was held in the Licking County jail in Newark, Ohio, in July 1910. According to the United Press and other reports, a mob battered down the jail doors on the night of July 8, dragged him from his cell, and hanged him near the courthouse square. Reports say the deputies could not stop the mob and that the sheriff had asked for state troops to guard other men held at the city prison. A Licking County grand jury later found that the sheriff, mayor and police chief failed to stop the mob, though no criminal indictments were returned against them, as the grand jury's findings are reported by the Washington Herald.

Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched (neglect alleged). A mob broke into the Licking County jail in Newark, Ohio, took Carl Etherington from his cell and hanged him, and a grand jury found the sheriff, mayor and police chief failed to act to stop the mob.

Reported by: Licking County grand jury (court); Governor Harmon; United Press (reporters); Associated Press (reporters); Newark officers (the agency that held him); New York Times (reporters); The Citizen (reporters); The Hartford Republican (reporters); Richmond Palladium And Sun-Telegram (reporters); The Illinois Issue (reporters); special grand jury report.

Sources (33)