Died in jail or a lockup
Jack Gordon
Jack Gordon was held in the Wilkes County jail in Washington, Georgia, in October 1919, according to an Evening Star report citing wire accounts. The report says a mob of about a thousand people took him from the custody of Sheriff Kelley, hanged him on the outskirts of Lincolnton, and then burned his body. A separate 1919 Elbert County Tribune account says the mob spent two days searching swamps and canebrakes for him before the killing, and it gives no exact date. Neither source includes an account from the sheriff's office or other officials about how the transfer was handled.
Cause of death, as reported: Killed by another person in custody