Died in jail or a lockup
Tom Stephens
Tom Stephens was one of three men held in the Lebanon county jail. An armed mob broke into the jail late on a Saturday night, according to the Chicago Tribune, forced the jailer to hand over the keys, and took the men from the dungeon. The paper's headline reports that the three were hanged to a tree. Nothing in the account describes the jailer resisting.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A mob broke into the Lebanon county jail, forced the jailer to hand over the keys, and hanged Tom Stephens from a tree.
Reported by: news reports.