The Lynching: The Epic Courtroom Battle That Brought Down the Klan

by Laurence Leamer

Overview

The New York Times bestselling author of The Kennedy Women chronicles the powerful and spellbinding true story of a brutal race-based killing in 1981 and subsequent trials that undid one of the most pernicious organizations in American history—the Ku Klux Klan.

On a Friday night in March 1981 Henry Hays and James Knowles scoured the streets of Mobile in their car, hunting for a black man. The young men were members of Klavern 900 of the United Klans of America. They were seeking to retaliate after a largely black jury could not reach a verdict in a trial involving a black man accused of the murder of a white man. The two Klansmen found nineteen-year-old Michael Donald walking home alone. Hays and Knowles abducted him, beat him, cut his throat, and left his body hanging from a tree branch in a racially mixed residential neighborhood.

Arrested, charged, and convicted, Hays was sentenced to death—the first time in more than half a century that the state of Alabama sentenced a white man to death for killing a black man. On behalf of Michael’s grieving mother, Morris Dees, the legendary civil rights lawyer and cofounder of the Southern Poverty Law Center, filed a civil suit against the members of the local Klan unit involved and the UKA, the largest Klan organization. Charging them with conspiracy, Dees put the Klan on trial, resulting in a verdict that would level a deadly blow to its organization.

Based on numerous interviews and extensive archival research, The Lynching brings to life two dramatic trials, during which the Alabama Klan’s motives and philosophy were exposed for the evil they represent. In addition to telling a gripping and consequential story, Laurence Leamer chronicles the KKK and its activities in the second half the twentieth century, and illuminates its lingering effect on race relations in America today.

The Lynching includes sixteen pages of black-and-white photographs.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062458360
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	06/27/2017
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	400
Sales rank:	405,395
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Laurence Leamer is the New York Times bestselling author of more than a dozen books, including The Kennedy Women and The Price of Justice. He has worked in a French factory and a West Virginia coal mine, and was a Peace Corps volunteer in Nepal. His play, Rose, was produced off Broadway last year. He lives in Palm Beach, Florida, and Washington, D.C., with his wife, Vesna Obradovic Leamer.

Table of Contents

Prologue: Fists Against the Earth 1

Part 1 Night of the Burning Cross

Klan Business 5

A Public Display 12

Thirteen Knots 15

"Good Job, Tiger" 20

A Precious Enclave 23

The Klan's Signature 30

The Value of Things 34

Bloody Nails 37

An Open Casket 42

A Major Injustice 47

Missionary Work 54

Prayers in the Night 56

A Lesser Grime 62

Black Sheep 68

A Capital Offense 71

The Second-Most-Hated Man 77

A Matter of Justice 79

"The Forces of Evil" 84

"Sizzling of the Flesh" 88

A Verdict 94

Part 2 A Time of Judgment

"Where in the Hell …" 101

Sunday School 105

Turning Back the Tide 111

"Who Is Shelton?" 114

The Day of Reckoning 119

Freedom Rides 125

A Personal Brawl 129

Riding Again 134

Eternal Vigilance 141

The Schoolhouse Door 143

Good Working People 150

"Seeds of Hate" 156

A Race Thing 161

Scrawny Pine 169

A Follower of Christ 177

A Pain in the Stomach 184

A Political Prisoner 188

Never 191

Censored 195

Lowering the Boom 201

Private Matters 204

Fighting the Fight 213

A Wannabe 217

Part 3 Roll Call of Justice

"Novel, but Unlikely" 225

An Eye for an Eye 228

A Clear and Powerful Message 231

Natural Consequences 234

A Book of Prophecy 237

"As You Lie, You Forget" 241

Intruders in the Night 246

"Blood Will Flow" 248

Shots in the Night 253

The End of an Era 262

Sending a Signal 265

Curveballs 271

"Nice Job, Daddy" 276

Purity of the Race 282

A Jury of One's Peers 288

Trading Places 290

"That's My Mom" 294

Remembrance 301

A Question of Justice 306

Death Has No Hold 312

Where Are They Now? 319

Acknowledgments 323

Notes 327

Bibliography 355

Index 359

Editorial Reviews

America’s unaddressed history of lynching and racial violence has left this nation vulnerable to horrific hate crimes, none more devastating than what is documented in this compelling book. We ignore Laurence Leamer’s account at our peril.” — Bryan Stevenson, author of the New York Times bestseller Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption

“Gripping and relevant.” — People

“Stirring.” — O, the Oprah Magazine

“Powerful... engrossing... and a pertinent reminder of the consequences of organized hatred.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Leamer infuses his tale with the drama of a popular novel.” — Washington Post

“For decades, Morris Dees has fearlessly demolished White Supremacist hate groups with his legal cunning. Laurence Leamer does a wonderful job in The Lynching describing how Dees put the KKK out of business. This legal thriller is destined to become a major motion picture. Highly recommended.” — Douglas Brinkley, author of The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast

“Leamer has deftly told the tragic story of the 1981 lynching of Michael Donald and the long campaign of civil rights activist Morris Dees to use unprecedented legal tactics to cripple the modern Ku Klux Klan. A narrative as powerful as any novelist could imagine.” — Dan T. Carter, author of The Politics of Rage: George Wallace, the Origins of the New Conservatism and the Transformation of American Politics

“A deftly researched history of the civil rights movement. ... Today, the Klan still exists. The Lynching reminds us why that matters.” — BookPage

“Leamer deftly translates the historical record into a tense courtroom drama.” — Atlanta Journal-Constitution

“The Lynching reveals truths that few people know and everyone should. The extraordinary story of Morris Dees, a uniquely American hero, fighting for and winning vengeance and justice in the courts.” — Arthur Bryant, Chairman, Public Justice

“This well-written, suspense-filled book vividly evokes themes from the ugly, not-so-distant past.” — Publishers Weekly

“Leamer brings... a sharp eye for tragedy... to his new book on the Michael Donald murder and its ramifications. ... Leamer does a truly remarkable job of humanizing Donald and his family, and of depicting the Mobile of the era.” — Al.com

“It is endearing to read about those willing to fight injustice with more than just thoughts and prayers but with heroic action and personal risk. In these difficult times, it is an uplifting and inspiring story.” — Bookreporter.com

“Leamer’s themes have become especially relevant today.” — The Crime Report

“Urgent and necessary.” — The Oklahoman

“Necessary reading. ... The Lynching, while of great cultural importance, reads like a courtroom drama. ... An important book.” — Under the Radar

“Laurence Leamer writes with the skill of a born storyteller. ... [A] gripping book.” — Finger Lakes Times

From the Publisher

For decades, Morris Dees has fearlessly demolished White Supremacist hate groups with his legal cunning. Laurence Leamer does a wonderful job in The Lynching describing how Dees put the KKK out of business. This legal thriller is destined to become a major motion picture. Highly recommended.

Douglas Brinkley

Leamer has deftly told the tragic story of the 1981 lynching of Michael Donald and the long campaign of civil rights activist Morris Dees to use unprecedented legal tactics to cripple the modern Ku Klux Klan. A narrative as powerful as any novelist could imagine.

Dan T. Carter

Gripping and relevant.

People

Stirring.

the Oprah Magazine O

Leamer infuses his tale with the drama of a popular novel.

Washington Post

The Lynching reveals truths that few people know and everyone should. The extraordinary story of Morris Dees, a uniquely American hero, fighting for and winning vengeance and justice in the courts.

Arthur Bryant

Leamer deftly translates the historical record into a tense courtroom drama.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

America’s unaddressed history of lynching and racial violence has left this nation vulnerable to horrific hate crimes, none more devastating than what is documented in this compelling book. We ignore Laurence Leamer’s account at our peril.

Bryan Stevenson

A deftly researched history of the civil rights movement. ... Today, the Klan still exists. The Lynching reminds us why that matters.

BookPage

Urgent and necessary.

The Oklahoman

It is endearing to read about those willing to fight injustice with more than just thoughts and prayers but with heroic action and personal risk. In these difficult times, it is an uplifting and inspiring story.

Bookreporter.com

Leamer brings... a sharp eye for tragedy... to his new book on the Michael Donald murder and its ramifications. ... Leamer does a truly remarkable job of humanizing Donald and his family, and of depicting the Mobile of the era.

Al.com

Laurence Leamer writes with the skill of a born storyteller. ... [A] gripping book.

Finger Lakes Times

Necessary reading. ... The Lynching, while of great cultural importance, reads like a courtroom drama. ... An important book.

Under the Radar

Leamer’s themes have become especially relevant today.

The Crime Report

Leamer infuses his tale with the drama of a popular novel.

Washington Post

Stirring.

O: the Oprah Magazine

Leamer deftly translates the historical record into a tense courtroom drama.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

04/18/2016
The prolific Leamer (The Price of Justice)swiftly traces the entwined lives of three Alabama men—civil rights lawyer Morris Dees, Gov. George Wallace, and top Klansman Robert Shelton—during and following the civil rights movement. Bookending this tripartite biography are two legal cases concerning the 1981 murder of Michael Donald, a young black man lynched by United Klans of America (UKA) members in Mobile County. The ensuing investigation and criminal trial reveal lingering sympathies for white supremacy. During Shelton's time as imperial wizard, Klansmen had attacked Freedom Riders in collusion with local cops and bombed the 16th Street Baptist Church. Leamer details Shelton's privileged relationship with Governor Wallace, who rode populist racism into the state's executive office and ran for president, showing how Wallace stoked rage against integration while carefully distancing himself from racist violence. As a student, Dees worked for Wallace's gubernatorial campaign and had even defended a Klansman in court. By the time he files a civil lawsuit against Shelton and the UKA over Donald's death, intending to bankrupt the organization, Dees is a changed man. Leamer's slice of American civil rights history prefers courtrooms and the Capitol to churches and the streets, with Dees—a cunning and tenacious lawyer doing dangerously unpopular work—playing hero. This well-written, suspense-filled book vividly evokes themes from the ugly, not-so-distant past. Agent: Joy Harris, Joy Harris Literary Agency. (June)

Publishers Weekly

04/15/2016
In 1981, members of the Ku Klux Klan murdered African American Michael Donald in Mobile, AL. Their prosecution and a subsequent civil lawsuit dealt a fatal blow to the largest U.S. Klan organization and effectively ended the protected status of the group and its members in Alabama. Leamer (The Price of Justice; The Kennedy Women) explores the tragic murder, drawing sad and telling details from interviews and court records. The middle section of the book looks back at the lives and careers of the men who would become adversaries in the courtroom: Morris Dees, the country lawyer from Montgomery who would emerge as an unlikely crusader for civil rights and who founded the influential Southern Poverty Law Center; and Robert Shelton, the leader of the United Klans of America. Leamer also traces the career of Alabama Gov. George Wallace, whose policies enabled the Klan to operate freely in the state for decades. The book closes with a dramatic account of the court case that would officially bankrupt the Klan. VERDICT Leamer skillfully weaves the facts of a single case with the story of the rise and fall of the Ku Klux Klan. Recommended for all readers interested in American history. [See Prepub Alert, 12/7/15.]—Nicholas Graham, Univ. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Library Journal

★ 2016-03-31
A powerful account of how a Ku Klux Klan-sanctioned lynching in Mobile, Alabama, paved the way for legal victories against such hate groups.Prolific journalist Leamer (The Price of Justice: A True Story of Greed and Corruption, 2013, etc.) ably re-creates this ugly flash point within a sprawling narrative about race relations and white supremacy's gradual weakening, noting that even after the victories and bitterness of the 1960s, "the Klan had what appeared to be a legitimate place in Mobile life." In 1981, young Klansmen randomly murdered 19-year-old African-American Michael Donald in retaliation for an unrelated shooting. After an initially botched investigation, the FBI and Justice Department oversaw the killers' 1983 convictions. The prosecution attracted the attention of Southern Poverty Law Center founder Morris Dees, who then represented Donald's family in a civil action against the United Klans of America, whose leaders first regarded it as "an aggravating, foolish lawsuit." In the middle third of the book, Leamer uses Dees' life as a lens, his growing devotion to legal activism contrasting with the massive resistance to civil rights embodied by his one-time mentor George Wallace, another key figure. While Dees was revolted by the Klan's violence, writes the author, "for Wallace…race was simply a fantastic political issue that he intended to parlay as far as it would go." By the time of the Donald murder, the Klan seemed diminished, yet Dees still faced threats as he built a case. Leamer develops incremental, disturbing portraits of the Klansmen, terming them "less a militant militia of white supremacist storm troopers than…a motley, disparate assembly of marginal men." Concluding with a well-paced courtroom drama, the author captures the climactic improbability of Dees' success, which bankrupted the UKA. Leamer confidently untangles the legal and social aspects of the story, showing how the South has grappled with the horrific legacy Donald's murder represents. An engrossing true-crime narrative and a pertinent reminder of the consequences of organized hatred.

Kirkus Reviews