Charles Ardell

Charles Ardell was held at the jail in Shepherdsville, Kentucky, when a masked mob broke in shortly after 1 a.m. on June 26, 1889, and took him from his cell. The Weekly Courier-Journal reported that the mob hanged him from a tree about a mile and a half from town, and that the jailer, Bowman, warned the crowd and gave up the keys. The Daily Times reported that the jailer was overpowered and his wife handed over the keys, while the Semi-Weekly Interior Journal said the jailer made no resistance. The jailer told the Courier-Journal that Ardell was calm and had asked that his body be sent home to his family in Pennsylvania.

Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A mob took Charles Ardell from the Shepherdsville, Kentucky, jail and hanged him, according to the 1889 newspaper accounts; the jailer's response is reported differently across them, with one saying he gave up the keys and another that he resisted.

Reported by: The Daily Times (reporters); the newspaper report.

Sources (11)

• The Daily Times, June 27, 1889, page 1 The Daily Times, June 27, 1889
• The Beatrice Daily Express, June 27, 1889, page 1 The Beatrice Daily Express, June 27, 1889
• Semi-Weekly Interior Journal, June 28, 1889, page 2 Semi-Weekly Interior Journal, June 28, 1889
• Weekly Courier-Journal, July 1, 1889, page 1 Weekly Courier-Journal, July 1, 1889
• The American Citizen, July 5, 1889, page 2 The American Citizen, July 5, 1889
• The Iola Register, July 5, 1889, page 6 The Iola Register, July 5, 1889
• The Herald, July 5, 1889, page 2 The Herald, July 5, 1889
• Griggs Courier, July 5, 1889, page 2 Griggs Courier, July 5, 1889
• The Hope Pioneer, July 5, 1889, page 2 The Hope Pioneer, July 5, 1889
• Emmons County Record, July 5, 1889, page 2 Emmons County Record, July 5, 1889
• Emmons County Record, July 19, 1889, page 2 Emmons County Record, July 19, 1889