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The Eyes of Willie McGee: A Tragedy of Race, Sex, and Secrets in the Jim Crow South

Page 47

by Alex Heard


  second trial, 81–82, 90–91, 94–104, 140

  third trial, 153, 164–79, 340

  Jones, Madison S., 28

  Jordan, Cleaven, 19–20

  Kahlo, Frida, 4, 327

  Kaufman, Mary Metlay, 329

  Keeler, Laura Mae, 62

  Keeton, Daisy, 36–39

  Keeton, Ouida, 36–39, 44, 137

  Kelley, Robert W., 317

  Kemnitz, Milton, 91

  Khrushchev, Nikita, 342

  Kinderland, 227

  Knight, Davis and Newton, 31–32

  Koch, Harry, 35–36, 43–44, 56–57, 91, 95

  Korean War, 234, 240, 248

  Kosciusko, Mississippi, 68, 228, 232

  Ku Klux Klan, 35, 124, 227, 237, 245–46, 251, 258–60, 266

  Kyle, John, 250, 257

  Lampton, Dr. Luke, 339–40, 347

  Landrum, J. C., 65

  Lang, Charles, 27–28, 40–42

  Lanham, Henderson, 272

  Laurel, Mississippi, 1–3, 5, 9, 11, 18–19, 21–26, 27, 30–39, 40, 41–54, 56, 57, 63, 64, 81–83, 84, 85, 87–89, 91, 94, 95, 96, 97, 101, 103, 106, 107, 109, 111–12, 114, 115, 118–21, 122, 123, 124, 135, 136, 137, 139, 140, 153, 155, 164–79, 180, 181, 197, 199–200, 213, 214, 216, 217, 219, 222–24, 228, 238, 239, 241–43, 245, 248–49, 257, 261–62, 264, 268, 269–71, 273, 274, 277, 283, 285, 286, 290, 304, 307, 309–12, 314, 316, 318–23, 329–36, 337–39, 347

  “legs” murder, 36–39

  Wash lynching, 39–43, 56, 177

  Yarbrough case, 135–39

  Laurel Leader-Call, 22, 29–30, 32–33, 35–36, 41, 44, 49, 81, 83, 137–38, 153, 165, 199–200, 228, 241, 248, 261, 330–31, 334

  Laurel Wholesale Grocery Company, 30, 49–51, 100, 286

  Lautier, Louis, 275–76

  Lee, Harper, 5, 10

  Leeson, Jim, 9, 10

  legal lynching, 28–29, 54, 68, 69, 115, 151–53, 272, 291, 340

  Leibowitz, Samuel, 195–98, 201, 240

  Leonard, Delia, 287

  Lerner, Max 324

  Lewis, James, 147

  Lewis, Leon P., 80

  Lexington, Mississippi, 212, 217, 228–30, 273, 278, 344, 345

  Life, 4, 17, 58, 142, 315, 317, 326, 332, 335

  Lincoln Memorial, 7, 144, 315–16, 319, 324, 329

  Little, M. M., 51, 174

  London, Alvin, 84, 155–56, 160–79, 180, 181, 198–200, 209, 241, 347

  lynchings, 6, 9, 10, 24, 27–28, 66, 69, 115, 128, 130, 133, 145, 193, 208, 316, 342

  Attala County Massacre, 68–69, 290

  Earle, 140–44, 145

  William Faulkner on, 291–96

  Higginbotham, 292

  history of, 27–29, 66–69, 74–75, 124, 128–31

  Jones, 76–77

  Lang and Green, 27–28, 40–42

  legal, 28–29, 68, 69, 115, 272, 291

  legislation against, 71–72, 130–32, 142, 145

  Malcom-Dorsey, 76–77, 129, 145

  Patton, 292

  Payne, 67

  postwar era, 75–77, 129

  Princess Anne, Maryland, 130

  Rush, 68

  Shepherd, 61–63, 66

  statistics, 66–69

  Till, 116–17, 290, 341

  Wash, 39–43

  MacGillivray, Jean, 304

  Madison Square Garden, 133, 149, 228

  Mailer, Norman, 4, 325, 327

  Malcom-Dorsey lynching, 76–77, 129, 145

  Marcantonio, Vito, 41, 72, 227, 305, 329

  Marshall, George, 56, 182, 188

  Marshall, Thurgood, 56, 71, 76, 151

  Martin, Charles, 280

  Martin, James Robert, Jr., 143–44

  Martin, Martin A., 279–80

  Martinsville Seven, 69, 221, 265–66, 278–82

  Masonite, 33, 50, 87, 120, 274, 283, 285, 337

  McAtee, Leon, 128

  McDowell, Evelyn Smith, 23–25, 338

  McGee, Adolphus, 12, 16

  McGee, Bessie, 21, 45, 56–58, 103, 139, 180–81, 200, 216, 219, 221, 223, 224, 239, 257, 277, 333

  testimony at trials, 45, 103

  McGee, Della, 12, 15–18, 219–25

  McGee, Eliza Jane Payton, 16, 21, 87, 119, 217, 219, 273

  divorce from McGee, 119, 211

  McGee, Gracie Lee, 4, 12, 16, 268

  McGee, Jasper, Jr., 15, 32

  McGee, Jasper, Sr., 21, 32

  McGee, Marjorie, 12, 16

  McGee, Mary, 12

  McGee, Rosalee, epigraph, 5, 13, 15, 16–17, 111, 139, 211–12, 216–19, 220–32, 239, 244–45, 257, 278, 283, 285, 286, 302, 303, 305, 307, 308, 317, 330, 331, 335–36, 344–46

  CRC and, 211, 216–17, 221–22, 225–28, 268–69, 273–75, 305, 306, 317, 325, 344–45

  deception as McGee’s wife, 228, 253, 267, 273–75

  McGee, Rose, 222–24

  McGee, Tracey, 15, 107, 219–25

  McGee, Willie:

  alleged rape of Mrs. Hawkins, 2–3, 14, 24, 29–30, 47–48, 52–53, 71, 98–100, 107–8, 113, 117–22, 140, 170–74, 198–99, 215, 239, 253–54, 287, 304, 346

  alleged scheme to murder Troy Hawkins, 87–90, 171, 282, 283

  appeals of, 3, 55–58, 70–71, 84–85, 92, 139–40, 151, 153, 181, 198–208, 218, 275–77, 285–87, 312–18, 329–30

  arraignment and plea, 35

  arrest of, 27, 30, 51

  birth of, 32

  children of, 3–4, 12, 13, 15–18, 57, 217, 227, 228, 269, 336

  clemency pleas, 240, 247–58, 312–14

  confessions, 52–53, 57, 101, 140, 175–76, 178, 201, 204, 205

  coram nobis plea, 241–43, 250, 258, 275, 276

  CRC and, 6–8, 180–82, 187, 199, 209, 216–17, 220–22, 225–28, 234–35, 238–43, 245–60, 261–78, 285–88, 296–97, 305, 313, 315, 324–26

  electrocution of, 1, 4, 5, 9–10, 24–25, 54, 113, 320–21, 331–36

  final weeks of, 316–34

  first trial, 3, 30, 35, 43–54, 55, 118, 164, 167

  grave of, 19–21

  guilty verdicts, 54, 56, 104, 180, 217

  jailbreak, 63–66, 70, 71, 102

  jailhouse letters, 139, 261, 317, 331, 335–36

  last walk of, 321, 333

  love-affair alibi of, 2, 5–6, 11, 17, 24, 73, 83–90, 106–7, 111, 113–18, 121–23, 171, 199, 249, 273–75, 282–87, 304, 311–12, 317, 319, 322, 347

  mental condition of, 44–45, 57–58, 63–64, 70, 94–95, 102–104, 140, 202, 323

  appearance of, 27, 172, 335

  press on, 4–5, 13, 29, 35, 44, 64, 66, 84, 90, 99, 102–103, 106, 113–18, 130, 139, 153, 180, 181–82, 234–41, 250, 251, 254–56, 261, 265–66, 275, 277, 285–86, 301–3, 314–18, 321, 324, 326–28, 331–35, 344

  public support for, 4–8, 150, 186, 238, 245–46, 261–66, 277, 297, 302–307, 314–15, 324–28

  sanity hearing, 44–45

  second trial, 3, 22, 64, 81–104, 135, 139–40, 165

  sentenced to death, 54, 104, 180, 199, 208, 285, 308

  statements by, 87–90, 282–84, 317–18

  stays of execution, 58, 199–201, 209, 257, 305–7

  testimony of, 176–77

  third trial, 3, 64, 91, 92, 137, 151, 153, 160, 164–79, 180, 204, 241, 287, 311

  U.S. Supreme Court appeals, 201–8, 209, 218, 238, 264, 275–78, 287, 305–8, 324, 329, 340

  McGee, Willie Earl, 15, 16

  McGehee, Ernest, 28–29

  McGehee, Harvey, 153, 239, 250–53, 263, 275–76

  McGohey, John F. X., 206–7

  McMullan, O. A., 167

  McRae, Horace, 44

  Meador, Mrs. Lonnie, 100

  Medina, Harold, 206–8

  Meiers, Blanche, 147

  Memphis Commercial Appeal, 162–63, 243, 289, 292, 328

  Meridian, Mississippi, 96, 151–52

  Michigan Daily, 306

  Millsaps College, 92, 161, 163

  Mills, Donna Poole, 162–64, 219–21


  Minor, Bill, 321, 331, 334

  Mississippi governor’s mansion, 237, 244, 325, 330

  Mississippi State Capitol buildings, 6, 244, 249–54, 258, 312–14

  Mississippi Supreme Court, 3, 70–71, 81, 92, 96, 138, 151–53, 155, 170, 180, 199–200, 205, 208, 209, 210, 217, 239, 250, 258, 275–76, 285, 327

  Mitford, David Freeman, 297

  Mitford, Jessica, 4, 90, 212, 222, 287–90, 296–304, 339

  A Fine Old Conflict, 11, 114, 287–90, 296–97, 301–5, 342

  Mitford, Nancy, 297

  Mitford, Unity, 297, 298–99, 301

  Mize, Sidney, 43, 270, 285, 287, 301, 312, 317, 318, 329

  Montgomery, Jeff, 52, 136, 174–75

  Montgomery, Olen, 194

  Moody, Milo C., 193

  Moon, Henry Lee, 282

  Moore, Arthur, 181

  Moorhead, Sam, 66

  Morgan, Chester M., 59, 61, 82

  Mosley, Diana, 297–98, 301

  Mosley, Oswald, 298

  Mostert, Mary, 13–14, 25, 105

  Motari, Lawrence, 64

  Mt. Pleasant Church, 20–21

  Mullen, Phil “Moon,” 289–90

  Murphy, Frank, 202–4

  Murray, Marvin, 218–19

  Myrdal, Gunnar, 201

  Nation, 4, 13, 279

  National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), 7–8, 28, 55–56, 57, 78, 128, 130–31, 135, 145, 151, 188, 194–95, 265, 301, 326, 341, 344

  CRC and, 78, 278–79

  Martinsville Seven case, 265, 279–82

  National Federation for Constitutional

  Liberties, 56, 70, 118, 182

  National Lawyers Guild, 155, 159, 201

  National Negro Congress, 77

  Naugher, J. T., 66

  Nazism, 133, 134, 158, 247, 263, 272, 297–99, 343–44

  Nelson, Rose, 250

  New Deal, 59, 61, 184

  New Orleans, 18, 19, 32, 37, 77, 79, 80, 88, 95, 108, 141, 243, 248, 249, 255, 256, 265, 324, 329, 335, 344

  New Orleans Times-Picayune, 321, 331

  Newsweek, 4, 234

  New York City, 4, 6, 7, 41, 55, 56, 59, 72, 75, 78, 84, 85, 131, 133, 139, 154, 155, 156, 157, 158, 159, 161, 180, 182, 184–85, 188, 189, 191, 192, 196–97, 201, 211, 225, 227–28, 234, 236, 238, 240, 245, 247, 248, 250, 263, 264, 267, 278, 281, 288, 296, 300, 302, 305, 307, 315, 318, 324, 325, 329, 345–47

  New York Compass, 218, 219, 238–39, 250, 252, 253, 255, 257, 263, 265–66, 272, 326

  New Yorker, 131, 142–43, 294

  New York Post, 159, 238, 324

  New York Times, 4, 41, 128, 129–30, 135, 139, 140, 145, 153, 182, 183, 184, 186, 207, 211, 234, 250, 251, 254, 295, 298, 326

  Niles, David K., 142, 329

  Nix, Floyd, 30

  Norris, Clarence, 193–98, 201

  Nuremberg trials, 77, 133, 143

  Oakland, 147, 288, 296, 324–25

  Oak Park High School, 34

  Ordower, Sidney, 186, 247–48, 252–53, 255–56

  Orso, E. T., 168–70

  Owens, Emmett, 163

  Oxford, Mississippi, 288–89, 291–92

  Pachuta, Mississippi, 19–20, 32, 87, 309, 337

  Palmer, A. Mitchell, 80

  Palmer Raids, 190–91

  Parchman, 38, 61, 63, 65, 310, 320

  Patterson, Haywood, 194–98, 221, 343

  Patterson, T. W., 333–34

  Patterson, William L., 6, 187–98, 211, 217–18, 221, 227–28, 234, 239–41, 245, 252, 261, 267, 271–73, 288–89, 315, 325, 341–44

  as CRC head, 187–98, 239–41, 271–73, 278–81, 342

  congressional testimony, 271–73

  The Man Who Cried Genocide, 188, 280, 344

  Scottsboro case and, 192–98

  Patton, Eddie “Buster,” 96, 151–53, 168, 201, 204–5, 340

  Patton, Nelson, 292

  Payne, Cleveland, 23, 34, 123

  Payton, Joe, 21, 50

  People’s World, 15, 211

  Peekskill Riots, 208

  Pittman, Homer, 43–53, 97, 98, 137

  Pittsburgh Courier, 128, 326, 344

  Poole, Beverly, 162–63

  Poole, John, 12, 84, 87, 160–64, 180, 196–97, 269–71, 339–40, 347–49

  Jackson Daily News libel suit, 181–82, 209, 269–71, 277

  McGee case and, 156, 161, 163–79, 181–82, 196–201, 204–5, 209–11, 218, 223, 241–43, 250, 256–57, 284, 339–440, 347–49

  Popham, John N., 129–30, 140, 143, 148, 250, 251, 254, 295

  Poplarville, Mississippi, 19, 39, 80

  Porter, Tal, 49–50, 118

  Pressman, Lee, 159–60

  Progressive Party, 150, 185–87, 306

  Pyles, Dixon, 12, 14, 22, 81–83, 92–94, 139–40, 161, 163, 210, 339, 347, 348

  McGee case and, 81–104, 111, 139–40, 151–56, 168, 170–71, 196–98, 222, 241, 269

  Pyles, Todd, 14, 22, 92–94

  radio, 7–10, 58, 75, 92, 144, 149, 187, 281, 319, 328, 331–33, 337

  Rankin, John, 133, 154, 252

  rape, 2–3, 11, 24, 27–29, 67, 71, 83, 115, 135

  of black women by white men, 135–39

  Martinsville Seven case, 69, 265, 278–82

  McGee case allegations, 2–3, 14, 24, 29–30, 47–48, 52–53, 71, 98–100, 107–8, 113, 117–22, 140, 170–74, 198–99, 215, 239, 253–54, 287, 304, 346

  Scottsboro case, 96, 117, 188, 192–98

  of white women by black men, 27–29, 96, 115–17

  Raymond, Harry, 250, 255, 286

  Reddoch, J. Press, 40, 42–43

  Rice, Greek L., 140, 204

  Richards, Beah, 6, 14, 106

  Roberds, W. G., 199–200

  Robert E. Lee Hotel, 64, 244, 255, 314

  Robeson, Paul, 4, 6, 132–34, 184, 189–90, 208, 227, 265, 326, 335, 344

  Robinson, Bridgette McGee, 15–18, 26, 107, 109, 119, 219–25

  Romilly, Constancia, 300

 

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