Lowe
Lowe, a man held at the Hawesville jail in Kentucky, was shot during a street confrontation with a crowd and taken to the courthouse and then the jail, where Judge Stuart stayed with him for protection. Several March 1859 accounts say two men forced the jailer to give up the keys at pistol point, entered Lowe's cell while he lay wounded, and shot him to death. Accounts differ on the jailer: one says he gave up the keys under threat, while another says he was forced to hand them over. Lowe reportedly asked that his life be spared and pleaded on behalf of his wife and children. The Louisville Journal and other papers reported that a grand jury declined to indict anyone for the killing.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. Two men forced the jailer to surrender the keys at pistol point, entered Lowe's cell while he lay wounded and shot him, according to the Louisville Courier and other reprinted accounts.
Reported by: Louisville Courier (reporters); Louisville Journal (reporters); Lynchburg Daily Virginian (reporters); Keowee Courier (reporters); Holmes County Republican (reporters); Hawesville jailer (the agency that held him).
Sources (11)
- Cleveland Morning Leader, March 9, 1859, page 2
- The Daily Dispatch, March 10, 1859, page 1
- The Lambertville Press, March 10, 1859, page 2
- New-York Daily Tribune, March 10, 1859, page 3
- Richmond Enquirer, March 11, 1859, page 2
- Alexandria Gazette, March 12, 1859, page 2
- Lynchburg Daily Virginian, March 12, 1859, page 4
- Holmes County Republican, March 17, 1859, page 2
- Daily Southern Reveille, March 18, 1859, page 2
- The Arkansian, March 26, 1859, page 1
- Keowee Courier, March 26, 1859, page 2