Died in jail or a lockup
Jefferson White
Jefferson White was held in the jail at Olney, Illinois. On the night of August 20, 1872, a mob took him from the jail and hanged him, according to the Wilmington Daily Commercial, which reported that the mob broke open the jail and hanged him from a tree in the courtyard. A Little Rock Daily Republican dispatch likewise reports that he was taken from the jail by a mob and hanged. The sheriff's and jailer's response to the mob is not described in these reports.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. The Wilmington Daily Commercial reported that a mob broke open the Olney, Illinois, jail, took Jefferson White from custody and hanged him from a tree in the courtyard.
Reported by: Wilmington Daily Commercial (reporters).