John Jones

John Jones was one of four Black men held in the Russellville jail in Kentucky when a mob took them out in the early hours of August 1, 1908, and hanged them from a tree. According to the Hartford Herald, about 300 men arrived before dawn, overpowered Jailer J W Butt, demanded the keys, and took the men from the jail, with little resistance from the jail staff. The men were hanged along the Nashville pike and later cut down and brought into the courthouse. The Daily Public Ledger and other papers gave the same account of the mob taking the men from the jail, though they differ on the date.

Cause of death, as reported: Killed by another person in custody

News reports (5)

• Daily Public Ledger, August 3, 1908, page 3 Daily Public Ledger, August 3, 1908
• The Hartford Herald, August 5, 1908, page 1 The Hartford Herald, August 5, 1908
• The Vanceburg Sun, August 6, 1908, page 6 The Vanceburg Sun, August 6, 1908
• The Citizen, August 6, 1908, page 7 The Citizen, August 6, 1908
• The Hickman Courier, August 13, 1908, page 8 The Hickman Courier, August 13, 1908