E. D. Atchison
E. D. Atchison, 35, was described in one newspaper account as well educated, acquainted with the classics, and a skilled penman who wrote a beautiful hand. He was being held in the Highland County jail at Monterey, Virginia, in January 1884, when a mob broke in, took him from his cell, shot him and hanged him from a white oak tree south of town. The jailer and a guard said they tried to dissuade the mob but were helpless, and the sheriff was away from home. A coroner's jury found he died from a gunshot, from hanging, or from both, and newspaper accounts give different dates for the attack, January 4 or 5, 1884.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched (disputed). A mob took E. D. Atchison from the Highland County jail and killed him by hanging and shooting; the inquest jury found death from gunshot, hanging, or both, and a later trial of a man indicted for the killing ended in a hung jury and acquittal.
Reported by: Highland County coroner's jury of inquest (acting coroner Justice Osborne Wilson) (medical examiner or coroner); The Daily Dispatch, reporting a Staunton telegram (reporters); The Caldwell Tribune (reporters); Bath County Enterprise, as reprinted in the Highland Recorder (reporters); Highland Recorder (reporters); Highland County jailer and guard (the agency that held him).
Sources (13)
- News report
- The Valley Virginian, January 10, 1884, page 3
- The Daily Dispatch, January 10, 1884, page 3
- Staunton Vindicator, January 11, 1884, page 3
- The Daily Dispatch, January 11, 1884, page 3
- Staunton Spectator, January 15, 1884, page 3
- Shenandoah Herald, January 16, 1884, page 2
- The Valley Virginian, January 17, 1884, page 3
- The Panola Weekly Star, January 19, 1884, page 1
- The Caldwell Tribune, January 19, 1884, page 1
- Staunton Spectator, January 29, 1884, page 3
- Highland Recorder, November 16, 1906, page 2