Died in custody
Will Dotson
Will Dotson, a Black man, was being taken to Quitman, Georgia, by officers in May 1901 when a mob took him from them. The Savannah Morning News reported that he was lynched, and that authorities had first claimed he had escaped. His partly decomposed body was found in the Withlacoochee River near Barney on Tuesday afternoon, May 14, 1901, and neighbors identified him.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched (disputed). The Morning News, citing the general impression in Quitman, says a mob took him from officers while he was being transported to Quitman, while the authorities first claimed he had escaped.
Reported by: The Morning News (reporters).