Died in jail or a lockup
Josef A. Smith
Josef A. Smith was held at the jail in Elkton, the seat of Todd County, Kentucky, in November 1889. According to a Hopkinsville dispatch reprinted by the Indianapolis Journal, a mob took him from the jail and hanged him to a tree in the courthouse yard. The dispatch does not say whether the jailers or officers resisted the mob, gave up the keys, or handed him over.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A Hopkinsville, Ky. dispatch reprinted by the Indianapolis Journal reports that a mob took him from the Elkton jail and hanged him to a tree in the courthouse yard.
Reported by: Hopkinsville, Ky. dispatch reprinted by the Indianapolis Journal (reporters).