Died in jail or a lockup
Whistling Joe
A Black man known only as 'Whistling Joe' was held in the Boonville jail in Warrick County, Indiana. On the evening of December 17, 1900, a mob took him from the jail and hanged him from a tree on the town's main street, with several hundred people watching. The sheriff refused to give the man up and appealed to the crowd in the name of the law. The man was killed by a mob that had taken him from the custody of the jail.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A mob took him from the Boonville jail and hanged him from a tree on the main street, while the sheriff refused to hand him over and appealed to the crowd in the name of the law.
Reported by: news reports.