Died in jail or a lockup
John Thomas
John Thomas, a Black man, was being held by officers at Union City, Kentucky, while his case was before the court. A news dispatch from Evansville, Indiana, published in the Morning Journal and Courier, says a crowd took him from the officers and hanged him from a beam in the courtroom on July 16, 1887. The dispatch does not say whether the officers resisted or handed him over.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A news dispatch from Evansville, Ind. reports that a crowd took John Thomas from officers at Union City, Kentucky, and hanged him from a beam in the court room.
Reported by: news dispatch from Evansville, Ind. (reporters).