Died in jail or a lockup
Joe J. Wilson
Joe J. Wilson was held in the jail at Audubon, Iowa, when a mob of about one hundred armed men broke in early on February 4, 1885. According to a dispatch from Audubon published in the St. Landry Democrat, the men shot him in his cell, dragged him out and hanged him from a rail fence. The dispatch says the sheriff was on the scene but was powerless to stop the mob.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. An Audubon, Iowa dispatch published in the St. Landry Democrat says a mob of about one hundred armed men broke into the jail, shot him in his cell, and hanged him to a rail fence.
Reported by: Audubon, Ia. dispatch published in the St. Landry Democrat (reporters).