Died in jail or a lockup
Janus West
Janus West was one of three Black men taken from the jail at Shelbyville, Ky., in January 1911 by a mob that had obtained the keys from the jailer. According to the Smyrna Times, the mob hanged the men, and when the rope broke, West ran into nearby woods with another man, Patterson. The paper reported that his body had not been found but said it was certain he was dead. The account is a newspaper report from 1911, and it gives no further details about his life or family.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A contemporary report says a mob obtained the keys from the jailer, took him from the Shelbyville, Ky., jail, and hanged him, and that his body had not been found.
Reported by: contemporary newspaper report.