James Foster
James Foster, a Black man, was held in the jail at Henderson, Kentucky, in June 1888. Newspaper dispatches report that a mob of about two hundred armed, mounted men broke into the jail in the early hours of June 11, broke down his cell door, took him out and hanged him. One account says the jailer was not fully alarmed until the men were already inside, while another says he was overpowered. The accounts differ on the timing and on whether jail staff resisted or handed Foster over.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. According to news dispatches, about two hundred armed men broke into the Henderson, Kentucky jail, broke down his cell door and hanged him on June 11, 1888.
Reported by: Evansville, Ind., and Henderson, Ky. news dispatches (reporters).