Died in jail or a lockup
Hong Di
Hong Di was held in the Colusa jail in California. Early on July 11, 1887, a mob of about 200 armed men broke into the jail, seized the sheriff, and took him from the jailer's room, then hanged him from a turntable crossbar at the railroad yards. One report says the sheriff had tried to calm the crowd and that the guards posted there offered little resistance, while another says a National Guard company had been removed from the jail shortly before midnight. The accounts differ on the timing and on how the sheriff responded.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A mob took Hong Di from the Colusa jail and hanged him, according to newspaper dispatches of the time.
Reported by: news reports.