Died in jail or a lockup
Pickney Bell
Pickney Bell was held in the jail at Murfreesboro, Tennessee, when a mob took him from the jail on the night of Monday, September 16, 1878, and lynched him. The Weekly Clarion reported the killing in a short item published two days later. The item does not say how the mob got in or whether jail staff resisted or handed over the keys.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched
Reported by: news reports.