Delos Hefferen

Delos Hefferen was held in the jail at Salem, Indiana, in June 1873. Early on June 29, a masked mob of about 25 to 40 men came to the jail and demanded the keys, and the deputy sheriff refused to give them up. The mob broke into his cell, shot him and struck him, then took him to a railroad bridge and hanged him, and no one was recognized. According to one newspaper report, he asked for time to pray before he was hanged. At the coroner's inquest, the examining surgeon reportedly said the shots would not have caused his death.

Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A masked mob broke into the Salem, Indiana jail, shot Delos Hefferen in his cell and hanged him from a railroad bridge, according to newspaper dispatches reprinting the accounts.

Reported by: Louisville dispatch reprinted in the Portland Daily Press (reporters); a northern newspaper reporting the mob's actions, repeated by the Memphis Daily Appeal (reporters); examining surgeon at coroner's inquest (medical examiner or coroner).

Sources (9)

• Memphis Daily Appeal, June 30, 1873, page 1 Memphis Daily Appeal, June 30, 1873
• The Portland Daily Press, July 1, 1873, page 3 The Portland Daily Press, July 1, 1873
• Worcester Daily Press, July 1, 1873, page 3 Worcester Daily Press, July 1, 1873
• Worcester Daily Spy, July 1, 1873, page 1 Worcester Daily Spy, July 1, 1873
• The Cairo Bulletin, July 2, 1873, page 2 The Cairo Bulletin, July 2, 1873
• The Ottawa Free Trader, July 5, 1873, page 4 The Ottawa Free Trader, July 5, 1873
• Memphis Daily Appeal, July 6, 1873, page 2 Memphis Daily Appeal, July 6, 1873
• The Charlotte Democrat, July 8, 1873, page 3 The Charlotte Democrat, July 8, 1873
• The New Hampshire Gazette, July 10, 1873, page 8 The New Hampshire Gazette, July 10, 1873