Chester Sawyer

Chester Sawyer, a Black man who had come to Galveston, Texas, from Brooklyn earlier that year, was held in the Galveston jail. Early on June 25, 1917, according to press accounts, a small mob got in by a ruse, overpowered the jailer, took the keys and took Sawyer out to the western edge of the city, where they hanged him. The Associated Press reported that his body was then shot many times. Accounts differ on the exact date, and the Associated Press account was the source for the shooting.

Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A small mob took Chester Sawyer from the Galveston jail by ruse, overpowered the jailer and hanged him near the city limits, according to Associated Press reporting.

Reported by: Associated Press (reporters).

News reports (13)

• Americus Times-Recorder, June 25, 1917, page 1 Americus Times-Recorder, June 25, 1917
• The Daily Commonwealth, June 25, 1917, page 1 The Daily Commonwealth, June 25, 1917
• Brownsville Herald, June 25, 1917, page 1 Brownsville Herald, June 25, 1917
• El Paso Herald, June 25, 1917, page 9 El Paso Herald, June 25, 1917
• The Lakeland Evening Telegram, June 25, 1917, page 1 The Lakeland Evening Telegram, June 25, 1917
• The Ocala Evening Star, June 25, 1917, page 1 The Ocala Evening Star, June 25, 1917
• The Montgomery Advertiser, June 26, 1917, page 3 The Montgomery Advertiser, June 26, 1917
• Pine Bluff Daily Graphic, June 26, 1917, page 1 Pine Bluff Daily Graphic, June 26, 1917
• Alexandria Gazette, June 26, 1917, page 4 Alexandria Gazette, June 26, 1917
• The Cordele Dispatch, June 27, 1917, page 3 The Cordele Dispatch, June 27, 1917
• The Jones County News, June 28, 1917, page 3 The Jones County News, June 28, 1917
• Hopkinsville Kentuckian, June 28, 1917, page 4 Hopkinsville Kentuckian, June 28, 1917
• Laredo Weekly Times, July 1, 1917, page 7 Laredo Weekly Times, July 1, 1917