Died in jail or a lockup
Aleck Harris
Aleck Harris, a Black man who worked as a water boy on the Bleckley County chain gang, was held at the Bleckley County jail in Cochran, Georgia. On the morning of August 17, 1923, while the sheriff was away, a mob broke into the jail and took him from his custody. According to the Cordele Dispatch and Daily Sentinel, the mob drove him about 12 miles out of town, hanged him from a tree and shot him many times. The newspaper reported that the men wore disguises and took the license numbers of their cars.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched
Reported by: news reports.