Died in jail or a lockup
Marcellas Thornton
Marcellas Thornton was being held at the jail in Richmond, Texas. According to a July 1879 report in the Marietta Journal, an armed mob broke him out of the jail and hanged him from a tree. The jail's handling of the mob and any later inquiry are not part of this record.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched
Reported by: news reports.