William Hamilton
William Hamilton, described in one newspaper report as a well-to-do farmer, was held in the Asotin County jail in Washington, where Sheriff Richards had sworn in twenty-five deputies to guard him. In the early hours of August 1903, a masked mob overpowered the guards, took their keys, entered the jail and removed him from his cell. The mob hanged him at the corner of First and Fillmore Streets near the jail, and one account says he asked that his jewelry and watch be given to his father and mother, a request the mob reportedly promised to honor. Papers gave differing dates for the killing, between August 3 and 6, 1903, and estimated the crowd at anywhere from more than a thousand to more than fifteen thousand people.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A masked mob overpowered the Asotin County jail guards, took the keys, removed William Hamilton from his cell and hanged him.
Reported by: news reports.