William Robinson
William Robinson, a Black soldier of the Twenty-fifth regiment, was held at the Sun River jail in Montana after officers handed him over at Fort Shaw. Newspaper accounts published in June 1888 say that around midnight a group of men came to the jail, demanded the key from the deputy on guard, and took Robinson from his cell to a nearby yard, where they hanged him. According to the reports, the deputy gave up the key when resistance seemed useless, and the sheriff, who had gone to bed late, was not present. The papers said a judge condemned the lynching and ordered a Cascade County grand jury to investigate.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A mob broke into the Sun River jail around midnight, took William Robinson from his cell and hanged him, after the deputy on guard gave up the key; a judge condemned the lynching and ordered a grand jury investigation.
Reported by: Great Falls Tribune, as reprinted in the Helena Weekly Herald (reporters); newspaper account.