George Witherill
George Witherill was held in the Canon City jail in Colorado. According to a news report dated December 4, 1888, an armed crowd gathered at the jail overnight, and before dawn about twenty men broke in, overpowered the sheriff and tore down the steel cage where he was held. The Morning News reported that Witherill was shot by members of the mob, carried out and hanged from a telegraph pole, and that his body was left there until daylight. The sheriff's handling of the attack and the account of the shooting come from this single newspaper report and are not corroborated by other sources here.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. The Morning News reported that a mob overpowered the sheriff at the Canon City jail, shot Witherill and hanged him from a telegraph pole.
Reported by: The Morning News (reporters).