Executed
James W. Cole
James W. Cole, a Black man, was executed by hanging on March 24, 1899, on an enclosed scaffold built beside the Burleigh County courthouse in Bismarck, North Dakota, where he had been held in the county's custody. According to one account, he was taken to the scaffold through an office window shortly after daybreak. The account notes that condemned men of that era were often allowed to invite friends to watch.
Cause of death, as reported: Executed by the state