John S. Lessrane

John A. Jessrang was held in the Beaver Head County jail in Montana Territory in March 1883, where his case had been continued to the next court term. According to the Savannah Morning News, a group of armed, masked men overpowered the jailer and took the keys, went to his cell and hanged him. Several papers reporting the event say the jailer was overpowered rather than that he handed over the keys, and the Inter Mountain account, reprinted in The River Press, says he was bound and pulled up with a rope over an iron railing. He was buried the next day, with about half a dozen citizens following his body to the grave.

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

Sources (10)

• The River Press, March 14, 1883, page 5 The River Press, March 14, 1883
• Press And Daily Dakotaian, March 14, 1883, page 2 Press And Daily Dakotaian, March 14, 1883
• Memphis Daily Appeal, March 15, 1883, page 2 Memphis Daily Appeal, March 15, 1883
• The Daily Dispatch, March 15, 1883, page 3 The Daily Dispatch, March 15, 1883
• The Salt Lake Herald, March 15, 1883, page 7 The Salt Lake Herald, March 15, 1883
• Wheeling Register, March 15, 1883, page 1 Wheeling Register, March 15, 1883
• The Cheyenne Daily Leader, March 15, 1883, page 2 The Cheyenne Daily Leader, March 15, 1883
• The Ketchum Keystone, March 16, 1883, page 2 The Ketchum Keystone, March 16, 1883
• Savannah Morning News, March 17, 1883, page 1 Savannah Morning News, March 17, 1883
• The Iola Register, March 23, 1883, page 7 The Iola Register, March 23, 1883