Died in jail or a lockup
John Smith
A mob took John Smith, a Black man, from the jail at Itta Bena, Mississippi, late one night in August 1908, according to a news report. Another man taken with him escaped, but Smith could not be found. The report said it was believed he had been hanged and his body thrown into a lake. Whether jail staff resisted the mob or handed him over is not established.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A news dispatch reports that a mob took John Smith from the Itta Bena jail in Mississippi and that he was believed to have been hanged and his body thrown into a lake.
Reported by: news dispatch.