James West

James West, a Black man, had worked as a chauffeur in Shelbyville, Kentucky, for several months. Early on Sunday, January 15, 1911, a mob of masked men broke into the Shelby County jail, where he was being held, and took him out to be hanged. Newspaper accounts say the rope broke, that he ran, and that mob members shot him, though his body had not been found when the reports were written. A deputy jailer was reported to have handed over the keys to the mob, and Sheriff Perkins believed the body had been thrown into Clay Creek. A special grand jury was reported to be investigating the lynching.

Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A mob took James West from the Shelby County jail in Shelbyville, Kentucky, on January 15, 1911, and hanged him; the accounts say he was shot after the rope broke, though his body was not recovered, and the deputy jailer reportedly handed over the keys.

Reported by: Ernest Hornback, Deputy Jailer, as reported in the newspaper (the agency that held him); Shelbyville, Ky. dispatch (reporters); Dakota County Herald news report (reporters); Shelbyville news report (reporters); newspaper dispatch from Shelbyville (reporters); Associated Press (reporters); Sheriff Perkins (the agency that held him).

Sources (21)

• Arizona Republican, January 16, 1911, page 1 Arizona Republican, January 16, 1911
• The Daily Gate City, January 16, 1911, page 1 The Daily Gate City, January 16, 1911
• Perth Amboy Evening News, January 16, 1911, page 12 Perth Amboy Evening News, January 16, 1911
• Las Vegas Optic, January 16, 1911, page 1 Las Vegas Optic, January 16, 1911
• The Prescott Daily News, January 17, 1911, page 1 The Prescott Daily News, January 17, 1911
• The Pensacola Journal, January 17, 1911, page 1 The Pensacola Journal, January 17, 1911
• Daily Public Ledger, January 17, 1911, page 4 Daily Public Ledger, January 17, 1911
• The Bourbon News, January 17, 1911, page 1 The Bourbon News, January 17, 1911
• The Madison Daily Leader, January 17, 1911, page 1 The Madison Daily Leader, January 17, 1911
• Cheraw Chronicle, January 19, 1911, page 7 Cheraw Chronicle, January 19, 1911
• The Daily Gate City, January 19, 1911, page 1 The Daily Gate City, January 19, 1911
• The Barre Daily Times, January 19, 1911, page 2 The Barre Daily Times, January 19, 1911
• River Falls Journal, January 19, 1911, page 2 River Falls Journal, January 19, 1911
• The Kanabec County Times, January 20, 1911, page 2 The Kanabec County Times, January 20, 1911
• Dakota County Herald, January 20, 1911, page 1 Dakota County Herald, January 20, 1911
• Northern Wisconsin Advertiser, January 20, 1911, page 2 Northern Wisconsin Advertiser, January 20, 1911
• Wauwatosa News, January 20, 1911, page 2 Wauwatosa News, January 20, 1911
• Eagle River Review, January 20, 1911, page 2 Eagle River Review, January 20, 1911
• The Thibodaux Sentinel, January 21, 1911, page 1 The Thibodaux Sentinel, January 21, 1911
• Wausau Pilot, January 24, 1911, page 2 Wausau Pilot, January 24, 1911
• The Adair County News, January 25, 1911, page 2 The Adair County News, January 25, 1911