Henry Swaim
Henry Swaim was held in the Salem jail when a crowd of men, many of them masked, marched in two by two and broke the locks to reach his cell, according to the Western Sentinel. The sheriff at first refused and tried to dissuade them, and the mayor appealed to the crowd to let the law take its course, but the men went on. The paper says the crowd was armed and followed the men who had taken him out of town. The newspaper's headline reports that he was then hanged by the mob on May 14, 1884. As he was led out, he asked, "won't somebody pray for me?" and a man in the crowd knelt beside another man and prayed while every head was uncovered.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. The Western Sentinel reports that a masked crowd broke the locks of the Salem jail, took Henry Swaim from his cell and hanged him after the sheriff initially refused and the mayor appealed to them to let the law take its course.
Reported by: Western Sentinel (reporters).