Irvin Roberts
Irvin Roberts, a man, was being taken by officers through Shady Valley, Tennessee, toward the Johnson County jail in December 1892 when a mob took him from the guards and hanged him from a tree limb, according to The Big Stone Gap Post. That account says a companion being taken with him was shot to death in the same incident. Other papers date the killing to December 16, 1892, and place it in Shady Valley or Bristol, saying he was hanged to a tree by a mob and pleaded for mercy while protesting his innocence. The accounts differ on the place, and none say whether the officers resisted the mob, gave up their keys or handed him over.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A mob took Irvin Roberts from officers and hanged him from a tree limb near Shady Valley, Tennessee, while he was being taken toward the Johnson County jail.
Reported by: news reports.