Clyde L. Johnson
Clyde L. Johnson, 24, was held in the Siskiyou County jail at Yreka, California, when a mob of about 50 masked men broke in before dawn on August 3, 1935. Deputy Sheriff Martin Lange said he tried to stop them but was bound, gagged and driven out of town, and the mob took the keys to Johnson's cell. The men removed Johnson and hanged him from a pine tree about three miles away, according to the San Antonio Light. The governor was reported to have said he regretted that citizens had taken the law into their own hands. One account describes Johnson as a young man from San Jose.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A mob of about 50 men broke into the Siskiyou County jail at Yreka, took Clyde L. Johnson from his cell and hanged him; Deputy Sheriff Martin Lange said he tried to stop the mob but was bound, gagged and driven out of town.
Reported by: International Illustrated News (reporters); Deputy Sheriff Martin Lange (the agency that held him); Authorities.