Died in jail or a lockup
George Thorton
Geo. Thornton, a Black man, was held in the jail at Wyckliffe, Kentucky. According to a May 21, 1889 Associated Press report, a mob took him from the jail on the morning of May 20, 1889, and lynched him. The report says the sheriff tried to resist, was dragged out with a rope placed around his neck, and then gave up the keys. No other account of the death was found, and the details of the event rest on this single report.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched
Reported by: Associated Press report published in the Los Angeles Daily Herald (reporters).