Died in jail or a lockup
George Washington Smith
George Washington Smith was a former Union lieutenant and a Republican who had been elected by Black citizens of Jefferson, Texas, as a delegate to the state constitutional convention in 1868. In October 1868 he was held in the jail in Jefferson. According to the account, a crowd of townspeople, including members of the Knights of the Rising Sun, came to the jail and shot him to death in his cell. The account describes a mob taking him from custody and killing him there.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched
Reported by: the historical newspaper account.