Oscar Williams
Oscar Williams, a Black man, was being taken by train under guard for safe-keeping when a mob seized him at Griffin, Georgia, on July 22, 1897. A telegram from the private secretary to the governor reported that he was lynched that morning at about 6:30. One newspaper account says the mob hanged him from a tree and then shot his body repeatedly, and that several members of the mob made no attempt to hide their identities. Accounts differ on his destination, with one naming Atlanta and another the Macon jail.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A mob took Oscar Williams from custody at Griffin, Georgia, while he was being taken under guard to Atlanta and then Macon for safekeeping, and hanged him from a tree.
Reported by: private secretary to the governor (telegram); newspaper account.