Died in custody
William Wilson
William Wilson, a Black man, was in the custody of an officer on a train a few miles from Augusta, Georgia, in May 1900 when a mob seized him. The mob kept him in the woods overnight, and his body was found the next morning. The Savannah Tribune's editorial said the officers failed to defend their prisoner. A grand jury said it could not identify anyone responsible for the killing.
Cause of death, as reported: Taken from custody and lynched. A mob took William Wilson from an officer on a train near Augusta, Georgia, held him in the woods overnight and killed him; a grand jury said it could not identify anyone responsible.
Reported by: news reports.