Charley Hawkins
Charlie Hawkins, whose wife and family were reported by one newspaper to be left in destitute circumstances, was held at the Shelbyville jail in Indiana. In late August 1891, a crowd estimated at about 500 men came to the jail at night and took him from his cell, and one account says that before they bound him he fell on his face and asked to be allowed to pray. Accounts differ on how the mob got in: one says a man in the crowd claimed to be a deputy marshal bringing in a prisoner and the sheriff opened the door, while another says the sheriff was seized, tied up and the keys taken. According to the reports, the mob hanged Hawkins from a tree near the jail and shot his body.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A mob of about 500 took Charlie Hawkins from the Shelbyville jail and hanged him from a tree, according to the reports.
Reported by: news reports.