Fred Gustaveson
Fred Gustaveson, 32, had recently come to Ottumwa to work as a laborer. On November 22, 1893, he was being held in Justice Truitt's office for a preliminary examination when a mob fought with the officers guarding him and dragged him onto the main street. A rope was passed to the crowd and he was hanged, but the rope broke after about 12 minutes, and his body was taken to the jail. The mayor told the crowd he was dead, and the mob dispersed only after a committee confirmed it.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A mob took Fred Gustaveson from officers at Justice Truitt's office, where he was held for a preliminary examination, and hanged him on the main street after relatives of a child fought the officers.
Reported by: contemporary newspaper accounts.