Tom Jones

Tom Jones was one of four Black men held in the Russellville jail in Logan County, Kentucky. Early on August 1, 1908, a mob of about fifty masked men broke into the jail, took him from among the prisoners, and hanged him from a tree on the Nashville Pike outside town. The Montgomery Advertiser reported that the jailer was held at gunpoint and handed over the keys. Accounts of the number of men taken and the mob's details differ between newspapers.

Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A mob of about fifty masked white men took Tom Jones from the Logan County jail in Russellville, Kentucky, and hanged him from a tree on the National Turnpike in the early hours of August 1, 1908, according to the newspaper report; the jailer was reported to have surrendered the keys.

Reported by: news reports.

News reports (8)

• The Paducah Evening Sun, August 1, 1908, page 1 The Paducah Evening Sun, August 1, 1908
• The Montgomery Advertiser, August 2, 1908, page 1 The Montgomery Advertiser, August 2, 1908
• The Pensacola Journal, August 2, 1908, page 2 The Pensacola Journal, August 2, 1908
• The Waxahachie Daily Light, August 3, 1908, page 1 The Waxahachie Daily Light, August 3, 1908
• The Bee, August 6, 1908, page 3 The Bee, August 6, 1908
• The Aberdeen Weekly, August 7, 1908, page 1 The Aberdeen Weekly, August 7, 1908
• The Adair County News, August 12, 1908, page 2 The Adair County News, August 12, 1908
• The Adair County News, August 12, 1908, page 7 The Adair County News, August 12, 1908