Lewis Gates
According to a Louisville dispatch reprinted in the Worcester Daily Spy in September 1874, Lewis Gates, a Black man, was held in the Nicholasville jail in Jessamine County, Kentucky, when a mob broke in, overpowered the jailer and took him out of town, where he was hanged. The dispatch says the sheriff tried to protect the prisoner but received no support from local citizens, and that the jailer was overpowered rather than handing over the keys. It also reports that the governor ordered the arrest of those involved. The accounts conflict on names and dates, so the details here are as reported and not confirmed.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A Louisville dispatch reprinted in the Worcester Daily Spy says a mob took Lewis Gates from the Nicholasville jail and hanged him outside town, overpowering the jailer while the sheriff tried to protect him.
Reported by: Louisville dispatch reprinted in the Worcester Daily Spy (reporters).