Died in jail or a lockup
John Knox
According to a Picayune report carried by The Age-Herald, John Knox was held in the Scranton, Mississippi jail when he died on February 26, 1901. The report says a crowd of about 100 armed men at night overpowered the sheriff and his deputies, broke down the jail door, and took Knox from his cell. The men then hanged him from an oak tree near the railroad depot. The sheriff's conduct during the seizure is not described in this account.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched
Reported by: Picayune special report (reporters).