James Lyon
James Lyon was held at the jail in Russellville, Kentucky. On the evening of July 4, 1905, a mob of about 100 men came to the jail and took him from it, and one account says they demanded the keys. Accounts say the sheriff and deputies were outside the jail yard at the time, and that another man held there ran out and was shot. Newspapers reported that he was supposed to have been hanged on the outskirts of town, and the accounts differ on whether his body was found. The accounts also differ on whether the jailer gave up the keys or resisted the mob.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched (disputed). A mob took James Lyon from the Russellville, Kentucky jail and hanged him, according to newspaper reports, but the death was not confirmed in the accounts, and the accounts do not say whether jailers resisted or handed him over.
Reported by: Courier-Journal Russellville dispatch (reporters); weekly news roundup.
News reports (8)
- The Courier-Journal, July 5, 1905, page 1
- Waterbury Evening Democrat, July 5, 1905, page 1
- Evening Star, July 5, 1905, page 1
- Palestine Daily Herald, July 6, 1905, page 5
- The Bee, July 6, 1905, page 1
- Times-Promoter, July 7, 1905, page 3
- The Gold Leaf, July 13, 1905, page 4
- Milford Chronicle, July 14, 1905, page 7