Squire Taylor
Squire Taylor was a Black man held in the Clark County jail at Charlestown, Indiana, in November 1871. In the early morning of November 17, a mob of masked men broke into the jail, took him and two other men held there, and hanged them from trees outside town. The Weekly Clarion and Morning Republican reported that the jailer and sheriff refused the mob's demand for the keys, while the Daily State Journal reported that the sheriff handed over a key, and the accounts do not agree. His son later sued the sheriff of Clark County, saying he had not used due diligence to prevent the hanging, and sought twenty-five thousand dollars in damages.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A mob took Squire Taylor from the Charlestown, Indiana jail in November 1871 and hanged him; the sheriff reportedly refused the mob's demand for keys, while another report says the sheriff gave up the key to a third door.
Reported by: Louisville Ledger, as reprinted in the Cedar Falls Gazette (reporters); Indianapolis dispatch reprinted in The Placer Herald (reporters); Indianapolis dispatch reprinted in The Hawaiian Gazette (reporters); Courier-Journal (reporters); his son's lawsuit against the Clark County sheriff (family or their lawyers).
Lawsuit: His son sued the sheriff of Clark County over the 1871 hanging, seeking twenty-five thousand dollars in damages, but no amount paid is reported.
Sources (10)
- Morning Republican, November 18, 1871, page 1
- The Daily State Journal, November 20, 1871, page 1
- The Leavenworth Weekly Times, November 23, 1871, page 3
- Cedar Falls Gazette, November 24, 1871, page 2
- The Placer Herald, November 25, 1871, page 2
- The Weekly Clarion, November 30, 1871, page 1
- The Hawaiian Gazette, December 6, 1871, page 2
- The Valley Virginian, March 21, 1872, page 1
- Evening Star, December 27, 1890, page 14
- The Courier-Journal, September 8, 1900, page 7