Died in jail or a lockup
John McDonald
According to a short telegraphic report in the Alexandria Gazette, John McDonald was taken from a jail by a crowd and hanged from trees near the town in December 1897. The report places the killing on a Sunday or Monday morning and was published on December 23, 1897. The jail and town are not named in the report, and the account has not been confirmed by any other source.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A short telegraphic report says a crowd took John McDonald from a jail and hanged him from trees near the town.
Reported by: unnamed telegraphic report.