Died in jail or a lockup
Charles Williams
Charles Williams was held in the Logan County jail in West Virginia when, on August 9, 1887, citizens took him from the jail and hanged him from a tree. According to the San Antonio Daily Light, a body of men first came to the jail to take him, and the sheriff armed himself and kept them off for a time before the mob later succeeded. Reports differ on whether the sheriff gave up the keys or resisted further, and the accounts do not agree on that point.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched
Reported by: news reports.