William Blankenship
William Blankenship, a Black man, was held in the Charlotte County jail in August 1889. According to a Smithville dispatch published in the Daily Times, about forty masked and armed men demanded the keys from the jailer at pistol point, took him from the jail, and hanged him from a tree about half a mile away, beside a public road. A Black man who met the group on the road had given warning a few minutes earlier, but the account says nothing was done to stop the hanging.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A Smithville dispatch published in the Daily Times says about forty masked, armed men took him from the Charlotte County jail after the jailer handed over the keys at pistol point, and hanged him from a tree.
Reported by: Smithville dispatch published in the Daily Times (reporters).