Two years before his death at the hands of "persons unknown," Hall had allegedly murdered a black man in Johnson County. Some of the colored friends of the murdered man made up a reward for the arrest of Hall. On February 5, 1903, Sheriff D. A. Crawford of Johnson County went to arrest him, and in the attempt he was seriously wounded. Crawford's brother led the posse that eventually captured Hall, crippled him with bullets through both hips, and turned him over to the coroner for a receipt in lieu of the $400 reward money. Hall was "in a bad way," said the newspaper. "Everybody expected a lynching as the town was crowded with strange faces, and newcomers arriving from every direction." At about 9 p.m. the jail was partially demolished, and the wounded man was forced to walk the three-quarters of a mile to the dump.

Lynching was live theatre. The executioners of one African American staged the lynching in a theatre and charged admission. One nickel bought you a seat and a shot at the victim. Journalists and newspaper publishers acted as press agents for these events-hyping, scripting, and advertising. Lynchings also sold newspapers. After the "opening" they reviewed the performance. A journalist in Wrightsville reported the lynching of Lee Hall for the Sandersville Progress: "It seems that the lynchers made a complete failure to remove his handcuffs and the negro is now hanging to the tree handcuffed. The lynchers used a small rope, tying the rope under his arms and throwing the rope over a limb of the tree. They did not even hang him up. He was found this morning with his feet on the ground in an apparently standing position with his head thrown back . . . completely riddled with bullets and his ears severed."

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