Elbert Harris
Elbert Harris, a Black man, was being taken to the Anderson jail in Anderson, South Carolina, in May 1898 in the custody of a constable when a mob seized him from the constable, carried him into the woods and whipped him. He was returned to the constable, brought to the jail, and died a few hours later, and before he died he said he had been severely whipped. His mother brought a suit under South Carolina's anti-lynching law seeking damages from Anderson County. After her death, the man who had lived with her brought a second suit in his name, and the case has gone through a first trial that ended in a verdict for the county, a verdict that was set aside, and a second trial that ended in a mistrial.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched (disputed). His family's lawsuit under South Carolina's anti-lynching law says a mob seized him from the constable, severely whipped him and he died after being returned to the jail.
Reported by: his family, in a lawsuit under the anti-lynching law (family or their lawyers); Anderson County constable (the agency that held him).
Lawsuit: His family sued Anderson County in 1901 under South Carolina's anti-lynching law; a first trial ended in a verdict for the county, which was set aside, and a second trial ended in a mistrial.