Casepin
Back to cases

Case file

Lynching of Charles Atkins

SOLVED1922Davisboro, Washington County, Georgia3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
News Coverage of the lynching of Charles Atkins 1922
News Coverage of the lynching of Charles Atkins 1922 — Credit: The Pensacola journal May 19, 1922 The West Virginian May 23, 1922 The New York Times Archives File:Washington County Georgia Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Davisboro Highlighted.svg · Public domain

On May 18, 1922, Elizabeth "Billy" Kitchens, a 24-year-old rural mail carrier, was killed while driving her car about 4 miles from Davisboro, Washington County, Georgia. Someone forced their way into her vehicle, placed a shotgun against her head, and fired, killing her instantly. Her body was then dragged approximately 50 yards away. A local farmer, Sid Lewis, found her body roughly 30 minutes after the shooting and reported it to Sheriff English in Sandersville, Georgia.

A mob of approximately 2,000 people subsequently found Charles Atkins, a 15-year-old African-American boy, in Kitchens's car. Around 6:00 PM on May 18, 1922, the mob tortured Atkins with fire until he confessed to killing Kitchens for her automobile. Atkins then implicated another boy, John Henry Tarver. The mob hanged Atkins, and his body, already burned, was reportedly shot more than 200 times.

Following the lynching, hundreds of cars swarmed the county searching for Tarver and another Black individual, George Clark, who had reportedly been seen with Tarver. A grand jury later indicted several people for complicity in Kitchens's murder: J. B. Miller, John Henry Tarver, and three of Charlie Atkins's family members — his father Gainer Atkins, his stepmother Ella Atkins, and his mother Sim Atkins. Gainer Atkins was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. He was granted a retrial by the Supreme Court of Georgia in 1923.

According to the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, this lynching was recorded as the 25th of 61 lynchings documented in the United States during 1922.

Key facts

Victims
Elizabeth Kitchens, Charles Atkins
Date
1922
Location
Davisboro, Washington County, Georgia
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 1922-05-18

    Elizabeth "Billy" Kitchens, a rural mail carrier, is shot and killed near Davisboro, Washington County, Georgia.

  2. 1922-05-18

    A mob of approximately 2,000 people finds Charles Atkins in Kitchens's car; around 6:00 PM he is tortured with fire until he confesses, then hanged and his body shot over 200 times.

  3. 1922-05-19

    Contemporaneous newspaper coverage of the lynching is published, including in the New York Times.

  4. 1923

    The Supreme Court of Georgia grants Gainer Atkins, who had been convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison, a retrial.

  5. 1926-02-16

    The lynching is referenced in United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary hearings on anti-lynching legislation, which recorded it as the 25th of 61 lynchings in 1922.

Best coverage

No approved coverage links are attached yet.

People

  • John Henry Tarver

    CHARGED

    Boy implicated by Charles Atkins during his forced confession; later indicted by a grand jury for complicity in the murder of Elizabeth Kitchens.

  • Sim Atkins

    CHARGED

    Mother of Charles Atkins; indicted by a grand jury for complicity in the murder of Elizabeth Kitchens.

  • Gainer Atkins

    CONVICTED

    Father of Charles Atkins; indicted for complicity in the murder of Elizabeth Kitchens, convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison, later granted a retrial by the Supreme Court of Georgia in 1923.

  • Ella Atkins

    CHARGED

    Stepmother of Charles Atkins; indicted by a grand jury for complicity in the murder of Elizabeth Kitchens.

  • J. B. Miller

    CHARGED

    Indicted by a grand jury for complicity in the murder of Elizabeth Kitchens.

  • Elizabeth Kitchens

    VICTIM

    24-year-old rural mail carrier shot and killed near Davisboro, Georgia, on May 18, 1922.

  • Charles Atkins

    VICTIM

    15-year-old African-American boy tortured and lynched by a mob on May 18, 1922, after being accused in the killing of Elizabeth Kitchens.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Archival records

  • News Coverage of the lynching of Charles Atkins 1922

    other document

    News Coverage of the lynching of Charles Atkins 1922

    Credit: The Pensacola journal May 19, 1922 The West Virginian May 23, 1922 The New York Times Archives File:Washington County Georgia Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Davisboro Highlighted.svg · Public domain · Source

Places

Davisboro, Washington County, Georgia

32.9526, -82.5921

View on the map

Common questions

What happened to the victim?
Charles Atkins, a 15-year-old African-American boy, was tortured and lynched by a mob of about 2,000 people in Davisboro, Georgia, on May 18, 1922, after being accused of killing rural mail carrier Elizabeth "Billy" Kitchens.
Where did the crime happen?
Davisboro, Washington County, Georgia.
Who was convicted?
Gainer Atkins (Father of Charles Atkins; indicted for complicity in the murder of Elizabeth Kitchens, convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison, later granted a retrial by the Supreme Court of Georgia in 1923.).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved.
More cases in Georgia

Sources

  1. ENCYCLOPEDICLynching of Charles AtkinsWikipedia · 2026-07-07
  2. OFFICIAL / AGENCYContemporaneous coverage — chroniclingamerica.loc.govchroniclingamerica.loc.gov · 2026-07-07
  3. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — The New York TimesThe New York Times · 2026-07-07

Record history

First published
JUL 07, 2026