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Lynching of Jake Braswell in Bullock County Georgia on July 15 1886

1886 · 95444 — 1886. Very Good. Small single sheet. 17 x 11 cm. Handwritten in ink. Single horizontal fold in center with 2 cm. tear on right end. Several individual letters are smeared tears perhaps toward the bottom of the letter. Envelope not present. Text of the letter: "Dearest Sister I have been having quite the time caring for Jake Braswell's effects after the Lynching in the 15th. The Sheriff will not allow me to enter his room to collect his effects. I do believe that he has nothing of value. If I have to then I will contact an attorney to handle the whole affair. If Cate has no objections I will give his trappings to the undertaker who is the only leader in this town who is not KKK. Your loving brother Marcus" Above the word "Lynching" murdering is penciled in. Handwritten in pencil on back and signed in pencil. "Letter to the Hon. Gov. Henry D. McDaniel about Jake Braswell's murder in Bullock Georgia 1886 was Returned un-answered. Marcus." A contemporary newspaper account in an Indiana newspaper reported that Braswell had "horribly mistreated" Dolly Woods a 6 year old white girl who identified Braswell as her assailant after his capture. Braswell reportedly was given the choice of being burned or hanging himself. When he did not follow through on hanging himself Braswell was involuntarily hung and his body riddled with bullets. It is unclear how Marcus and his sister were related or otherwise connected to Braswell. unknown