Jesse McCorkle
Jesse McCorkle, a Black man about thirty years old, was held in the Cartersville, Georgia, jail in February 1916 under the care of the night jailer. Early on February 25, a mob of forty or fifty men and boys overpowered the jailer, took his keys, removed McCorkle from his cell, and hanged him from a tree in front of the city hall, where his body was shot many times. The sheriff, who reportedly arrived after the crowd had gone, said he had earlier brought McCorkle to the jail for safety. The coroner's inquest found that he died at the hands of unknown parties.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A mob of forty or fifty men and boys took Jesse McCorkle from the Cartersville, Georgia jail, hanged him from a tree in front of the city hall, and riddled his body with bullets; the coroner's inquest found he died at the hands of unknown parties.
Reported by: Coroner W. J. Ingram (medical examiner or coroner); news dispatch.
News reports (9)
- The Hattiesburg News, February 25, 1916, page 1
- The Waxahachie Daily Light, February 25, 1916, page 3
- The Brunswick News, February 26, 1916, page 1
- The Montgomery Advertiser, February 26, 1916, page 1
- Pine Bluff Daily Graphic, February 26, 1916, page 5
- Alexandria Gazette, February 26, 1916, page 3
- The Richmond Virginian, February 27, 1916, page 5
- Atlanta Semi-Weekly Journal, February 29, 1916, page 8
- The Dawson News, March 1, 1916, page 5