Frederick Rochelle
Fred Rochelle, an elderly Black man, was held in the Polk County jail in Bartow, Florida, under the protection of the sheriff and a guard of deputies. The Mt. Sterling Advocate reported that on May 20, 1901, a mob overpowered the sheriff and deputies, broke into the jail, and took him away to be burned at a stake. The San Francisco Call said the sheriff and deputies tried to stop the mob, and the sheriff's conduct toward the mob is not stated. The two accounts differ on details, and the exact sequence of events is uncertain.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A mob took Fred Rochelle from the Polk County jail and burned him at a stake, according to the Chronicling America newspaper accounts.
Reported by: Polk County sheriff and deputies (as described in newspaper accounts) (the agency that held him); San Francisco Call (reporters).