Died in jail or a lockup
Grifford
Grifford was held in the Jackson County jail in Iowa. According to a correspondent for the New-York Daily Tribune, about fifty armed men of a vigilance committee broke the jail door open with a sledgehammer, took him to a tree and hanged him. The correspondent says the committee took control while the crowd watched. Grifford asked for a priest, and a Methodist minister prayed with him before he was hanged.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A correspondent of The N.Y. Tribune says an armed vigilance committee of about fifty men broke open the Jackson County, Iowa jail door with a sledgehammer, took Grifford to a tree and hanged him.
Reported by: Correspondent of The N.Y. Tribune (reporters).