Executed
Jane Elkins
Jane Elkins was an enslaved Black woman. According to Terry Baker's research on hangings and lynchings in Dallas County, she was held at the Dallas County Jail and was hanged by the state of Texas on May 17, 1853, in what was described as the first execution in the state. Baker's research places the hanging in the courthouse jail yard in Dallas, but the exact location is uncertain because no records from that year give the jail's address.
Cause of death, as reported: Executed by the state
Reported by: Terry Baker's research on hangings and lynchings in Dallas County.