Harvey Brayton
Harvey Brayton was one of two men held in the Omaha jail in Douglas County. According to Mr. Lonergan, a pioneer recalling the early days of the county, a group of men came to Omaha, obtained the keys from Sheriff Cam Reeves, and took the two prisoners away in a wagon toward Florence. The next morning, the men's bodies were found hanging from a limb near the old Vandercook house, two miles north of Florence, which Mr. Lonergan describes as a hanging. The sheriff is said to have handed over the keys.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. Mr. Lonergan, a pioneer recalling early Douglas County days, says a mob obtained the jail keys from Sheriff Cam Reeves and took Brayton from custody, and he was found hanged from a limb near the old Vandercook house.
Reported by: Mr. Lonergan, a pioneer recalling early Douglas County days.