Fount Martin

Fountain Martin was being held in the Wayne County jail at Monticello, Kentucky, in February 1896. According to the San Francisco Call, about twenty masked men overpowered the jailer, took his keys, unlocked the cells and removed Martin. The Hope Pioneer put the mob at about fifty men who took Martin and another man from their cells, and the Griggs Courier gave the date as February 17. Martin's body was later found hanging from a limb in a grove near Steubenville, without his coat, hat or shoes. The accounts differ on how many men took part in the mob.

Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A mob of about twenty masked men overpowered the jailer, took his keys and removed Fountain Martin from the Wayne County jail at Monticello, Kentucky, and his body was later found hanging in a grove near Steubenville.

Reported by: Wayne County jailer (as reported in an 1896 newspaper account) (the agency that held him); 1896 newspaper reporting on the Monticello, Kentucky jail (reporters).

Sources (4)

• The San Francisco Call, February 18, 1896, page 2 The San Francisco Call, February 18, 1896
• Delaware Gazette And State Journal, February 20, 1896, page 7 Delaware Gazette And State Journal, February 20, 1896
• The Hope Pioneer, February 21, 1896, page 2 The Hope Pioneer, February 21, 1896
• Griggs Courier, February 21, 1896, page 6 Griggs Courier, February 21, 1896