George Hickman
George Hickman, a 20-year-old Black man, was held in the jail in Pontchatoula, Louisiana, when a mob took him from the building on the night of September 21, 1900. The News & Observer reported that a committee demanded the keys from Sheriff Nix, who refused, and that the crowd broke the jail open with axes. Four Black men were taken from the jail that night, and George was hanged from a tree about two blocks away. A coroner's jury returned a verdict of death by unknown hands.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A coroner's jury returned a verdict of death by unknown hands after a mob broke into the Pontchatoula jail and hanged him from a tree, and the sheriff refused the mob's demand for the keys.
Reported by: coroner's jury (medical examiner or coroner).