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