Dr. Crawford
Dr. Crawford was held in the Morgan County jail at Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, in August 1876. According to the Daily Dispatch, about twenty-five to forty masked men came to the jail shortly after 1 a.m. on August 24, demanded keys, and were told by a guard that none were there. They broke down his door with a sledge, pulled him from bed without time to dress, and took him away, and his body was later found hanging from a tree about three quarters of a mile from town. The Daily Dispatch also reports that pursuit of the men was not attempted until daylight.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched (neglect alleged). A newspaper account says the masked mob demanded keys from a guard, who said there were none, and that pursuit was not attempted until daylight, which could point to a lapse in the jail's protection.
Reported by: Cumberland, Md. dispatch (reporters); newspaper account; Chicago Daily Tribune (reporters).