Died in jail or a lockup

Sam West

died January 15, 1911 · Shelby County Jail, Shelby County, Kentucky

Sam West, a Black man, was held at the Shelby County jail in Shelbyville, Kentucky, when a mob attacked the jail in January 1911. The mob took him from the jail and hanged him from a bridge. He was one of three men the mob took from the jail that night.

Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched

Reported by: news reports.

News report

The Durham Recorder, January 17, 1911, page 2 The Durham Recorder, January 17, 1911

Read the Kentucky report See on the Kentucky map See on the national map All records