Died in jail or a lockup
Floyd Smith
Floyd Smith was held in the jail at Hernando, Mississippi, in the custody of the sheriff, who also served as jailer, together with his wife, Mariah. In the early hours of November 4, 1878, an armed mob of thirty or forty people took the couple from the guard, according to a Memphis Daily Appeal correspondent writing from Hernando. The mob hanged them both on a plantation about three miles southwest of town.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched
Reported by: Memphis Daily Appeal correspondent, writing from Hernando (reporters).