William Bates
William Dales was held in the Shelbyville jail in Tennessee in June 1892. Newspaper accounts report that a mob broke in and forced the keys from Sheriff Moore, then searched the cells, dragged him out and hanged him from a tree in the courthouse yard. A coroner's inquest returned a verdict of death at the hands of unknown persons. His father, Scott Dales, was also seized and nearly hanged before citizens intervened and he was returned to the jail. One news dispatch says William protested his innocence before he died.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A mob forced the keys from the sheriff, took him from his cell and hanged him from a tree in the courthouse yard, and the death was attributed to unknown persons at an inquest.
Reported by: coroner's inquest (medical examiner or coroner); news dispatch from Nashville (reporters).