From the Annals of Extremely Partisan Politics –   In 1860,  7 defendants were  found guilty of killing 3 men that were taken from the Marion County Jail in Jefferson on the night of October 24, 1868. The 7 defendants along with 17 others who were acquitted were accused of dragging 5 men out of the jail and killing 3 of them. The jailed men were Republicans who had been arrested the night before after a gun fight with local Democrats.