James Robertson
James Robertson, a 45-year-old man, was held in the Decatur County jail in Leon, Iowa, in 1887. A 1912 reprint from The Reporter's 'Twenty-five Years Ago' column says about thirty-five masked and armed men came to town in the early hours of a Sunday, broke through the jail doors and reached the steel cell where he was held. Sheriff Honnold had said he would defend the jail, and the mob eventually broke through the inner iron door, took Robertson to a bridge west of town and hanged him. A coroner's jury later returned a verdict of death by hanging at the hands of persons unknown.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A coroner's jury returned a verdict of death by hanging at the hands of persons unknown after a mob took him from the Leon jail and hanged him from a bridge.
Reported by: coroner's jury (medical examiner or coroner); The Reporter's 'Twenty-five Years Ago' column (reporters).