Grayson
Grayson, a man held in the Culpeper jail in Virginia, was taken from the jail in July 1850 by a mob that broke open the jail door and hanged him from a tree nearby. According to the Warrenton Flag, as reprinted in the Daily Richmond Times, the jailer refused to give up the keys and the magistrates offered only feeble resistance. A letter by R. H. Field printed in the Richmond Enquirer says local magistrates had promised warrants against the mob, but none were issued before the hanging. Estimates of the crowd's size range from about 200 to 700 people, and the Times called the killing a disgrace to Virginia.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. R. H. Field's letter in the Richmond Enquirer says a mob broke open the Culpeper jail, took Grayson out and hanged him, and that promised warrants against the mob were never issued.
Reported by: R. H. Field, in a letter printed in the Richmond Enquirer; Warrenton (Fauquier) Flag, as reprinted in the Daily Richmond Times (reporters).