Mary Conley
Mary Conley, a Black woman, was the mother of Sam Conley. According to The Savannah Tribune, a mob broke into the guard house in Leary, Georgia, which had no guard posted, and took her from custody during the night of Monday, October 2, 1916. Her body, riddled with bullets, was found by the roadside in the early morning hours. The Tribune links her killing to a fatal confrontation between her son and a white planter, E. M. Melvin, but says some of these details are claims rather than established facts. The Dawson News, reporting on October 11, 1916, also describes the guard house as left without a guard and gives no other date for the killing.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A mob broke into the Leary guard house, which had no guard posted, and took Mary Conley from custody and riddled her body with bullets.
Reported by: news reports.