- University News Archive - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

��Vlog��ý Little Rock professor, students discover locations of missing Elaine 12 graves

Ajani Oyindamola — Thu, 08 Nov 2018 18:00:07 +0000

A University of Arkansas at Little Rock history professor and his graduate students are making headway into a mystery 99 years in the making. Dr. Brian Mitchell and his graduate students in the Intro to Public History Class have followed a trail of clues through cemeteries, public records, and databases as part of their search to discover what happened to a dozen black men wrongfully sentenced to death in a time of great racial turmoil in the aftermath of the 1919 Elaine Massacre. “The goal of the project was to run biographies and locate the graves of all members of the Elaine 12,” Mitchell said. “It is a significant project because up until this point, we have only known their names and haven’t known what happens after their release from jail after they are on death row. None of their burial locations were known. The first facet was to do research on the lives of the 12, identifying who they were, milestones in their lives, and ultimately how they died and where they were buried.” With the centennial anniversary of the Elaine Massacre quickly coming up next year, Mitchell has devoted much of his recent research to uncovering the mysteries of one of the deadliest race riots in U.S. history. Graduate students working on the project include Kathryn Bryles, Jessica Chavez, Kary Goetz, Andrew Mcclain, Jessica Parker, Alex Soulard, and Kathryn Thompson. The Elaine 12 were a group of black sharecroppers who received some of the harshest sentences from all-white juries in the wave of quick, unjust criminal prosecutions of black people that followed the Elaine Massacre. The men were convicted of murder and sentenced to death. “The Elaine 12 were sharecroppers who were being cheated,” Mitchell said. “They were meeting secretly in hopes of raising enough money to sue the plantation owners. Many of these sharecroppers were returning World War I veterans who believed they had the rights of other American citizens. When the plantation owners got wind of the notion they were going to be sued, they decided to intimidate the members of the union who were meeting secretly.”

Dr. Brian Mitchell

This led to the events of the Elaine Massacre. In September 1919, representatives of the Progressive Farmers and Household Union of America met with approximately 100 black farmers at a church to discuss unionizing. When a group of white men interrupted the meeting, two white men were shot. The sheriff organized a posse. A mob of an estimated 500 to 1,000 white people stormed through Phillips County, killing black men, women, and children on sight. The convictions of the Elaine 12 were overturned in the landmark ruling, Moore vs. Dempsey, by the Supreme Court in 1923. “The NAACP heard about the case and hired a team of attorneys,” Mitchell said. “The case represents one of the first major victories that the NAACP would have in the Supreme Court.” One of the key pieces of evidence, according to Mitchell, was the testimony of white men who participated in the Elaine Massacre. “There was testimony that the men (Elaine 12) were beaten, and the mob outside had greatly influenced the court,” Mitchell said. “Either you give them the death sentence, or we will drag them outside and kill them. All of this insured the Elaine 12 could not have had a fair trial.” Following their release from prison, most members of the Elaine 12 fled the state and changed their names. Many of them lived the rest of their lives in exile, fearing for their safety, with their family members never knowing what happened to them. “We weren’t able to locate the graves for all of the Elaine 12,” Mitchell said. “We believe the missing ones may have used fake names for the remainder of their lives. We know Robert Hill used the name Robert Smith for a long portion of his life. On two occasions, there were attempts to abduct him because Arkansas placed a bounty on him. We believe many of these people believed their lives were still in peril after being released from jail. Very few of them stayed in Arkansas. Most of them fled.” Through their diligent research, Mitchell and his students have discovered the location of six graves of the Elaine 12. Graves were found in Kansas, Illinois, Missouri, and Ohio. Only two of the six graves are located within the state of Arkansas. Frank Moore, a World War I veteran, is buried in the National Cemetery in Little Rock. Joseph Knox also is buried in Arkansas at the Haven of Rest Cemetery in Little Rock. ��Vlog��ý Little Rock graduates Laura Fuentes Whitehead and Deanna Holdcraft, officers in the Arkansas Archeological Society’s Central Arkansas Chapter, assisted with the project by spearheading the ground research in cemeteries with students and helped with professional outreach and online data entry for grave information. They also served as subject matter experts in regard to the area’s cemeteries.

Frank Moore’s grave is located in the National Cemetery in Little Rock.

Mitchell also is raising money through a foundation, Finding the Elaine 12, to place markers on the graves of the Elaine 12 and historical markers in the cemeteries where they are buried. The foundation has already raised more than $8,000. Donations can be made online by selecting College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences in the drop down box and then typing in “Elaine 12” in the Fund Other box. Checks can be made out to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock with “Elaine 12” written in the descriptive information line. Checks can be mailed to University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Office of Alumni and Development, 2801 S. University, Little Rock, AR 72204. Mitchell and his students are creating comprehensive biographical profiles on all members of the Elaine 12, which they will submit to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas for publication. Through a partnership with the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Department of Theatre Arts and Dance, theatre students will use the profiles to create vignettes of the Elaine 12 that will be used in a play during the 2019 centennial commemoration of the Elaine Massacre. In the upper right photo, Dr. Brian Mitchell and his graduate students meet with historians and family members to learn more about the Elaine Massacre for their research project on the Elaine 12 for their Intro to Public History class. Front row (L to R) includes Robert Whitaker, author of “On the Laps of Gods,” Grif Stockley, author of “Blood in their Eyes,” Shelia Walker, family member of Albert and Milligan Giles, sharecroppers arrested during the Elaine Massacre, and graduate students Jessica Chavez and Alex Soulard. Back row (L to R) includes Dr. Jessica Parker, Dr. Brian Mitchell, and graduate students Kathryn Thompson, Andrew Mcclain, and Kathryn Bryles.

Elaine Massacre victim to posthumously receive medals for service in World War I

Ajani Oyindamola — Thu, 13 Sep 2018 20:19:55 +0000

A black World War I veteran and victim of the 1919 Elaine Massacre will posthumously be honored with the Purple Heart and other World War I honors that he was denied a century ago. For Dr. Brian Mitchell, a professor of history at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, helping Leroy Johnston receive his medals is about righting a wrong a century in the making. Mitchell has found that Johnston’s medical records were altered, which prevented him from receiving the military honors he deserved. “Leroy was wounded twice while serving in World War I,” Mitchell said. “His wounds required a long time of convalescence. His records were intentionally altered from ‘severely’ wounded to ‘slightly’ wounded. This impeded him from receiving any awards for being wounded in action. I thought this was a tragedy.” Mitchell uncovered this tragic aspect of Johnston’s life while investigating the in preparation for its centennial commemoration in 2019.

Dr. Brian Mitchell

The Elaine Massacre is remembered as one of the deadliest racial conflicts in the country. In September 1919, representatives of the Progressive Farmers and Household Union of America met with approximately 100 African-American farmers at a church to discuss unionizing. When a group of white men interrupted the meeting, two white men were shot. The sheriff organized a posse, comprised largely of white veterans, who like Johnston, had recently returned from the war. A mob of an estimated 500 to 1,000 white people stormed through Phillips County, killing black men, women, and children on sight. Johnston and his three older brothers were killed during the Elaine Massacre. Determined to right this injustice, Mitchell gathered records that substantiated Johnston’s military service and injuries. He submitted the information to the U.S. Department of the Army over the summer to request that Johnston be awarded medals for his service during World War I. Mitchell then contacted for assistance. Mitchell thanked Hill and his staff members, especially Thomas McNabb, Hill’s director of military affairs, for their help, which was instrumental in ensuring that Johnston finally received his long overdue medals. “We are proud to honor Private Johnston, who died defending our freedoms, by helping to secure four medals he rightfully deserved for his valiant acts of bravery during World War I,” Hill said. “I have a great veterans team of three on my staff who work hard to ensure our veterans, alive and no longer with us, receive full recognition for their service. Tom did a phenomenal job ensuring Private Johnston’s legacy lives on forever.” “I want to thank Dr. Mitchell for bringing this to our attention,” McNabb said. “It was a privilege to be a part of honoring Private Johnston’s service to our great nation. This is why I do what I do every day to help our Arkansas veterans.” A ceremony is being planned to present the awards to Johnston’s relatives. Johnston will receive the Purple Heart with one Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster for wounds received in action on Sept. 26, 1918, in France. He also will receive the World War I Victory Medal with France Service Clasp and Champagne-Marne, Aisne-Marne, and Meuse-Argonne Battle Clasps, and the World War I Victory Button. Kyle Miller, a great-nephew of Leroy’s brother, Dr. D.A.E. Johnston, who was also a victim of the Elaine Massacre, said his family is very grateful that Leroy will finally receive his medals. “I feel like justice is taking place. When you look at the original document, Leroy’s release paper, it’s obvious that he was qualified for a Purple Heart, but the document was then altered to disqualify him,” Miller said. “A wrong has now been righted. Dr. Mitchell encouraged me to work with Veterans Affairs and inquire about Purple Heart status for my great uncle. I went as far as I could go in the process, but I hit a roadblock. There were some things that I couldn’t verify. Brian kept pushing until he got a breakthrough. I am so glad that he did! I am also extremely grateful to Rep. French Hill and his staff for all of their help. Our family is indebted to Dr. Mitchell. We are all ecstatic!”

In Leroy Johnston’s discharge record, the word “slightly” has been stamped over “severely” in the ‘Wounded in action’ section.

The Road to Elaine

Johnston was a private in the U.S. Army. At 23, he joined on Nov. 9, 1917, in New York City. He served in Company M, 3rd Battalion, 369th Infantry, which was also known as the Harlem Hellfighters. Johnston went overseas in December 1917 and was honorably discharged on July 5, 1919. He was wounded and gassed in the Battle of Chateau-Thierry. He also served as a bugler. The Harlem Hellfighters military band became quite famous for introducing jazz to Europe. The Johnstons were a prominent black family in Jefferson County. Their father, Rev. Lewis Johnston Jr., was the first ordained black minister of the Covenanter Church, and their mother, Mercy, was a former school teacher. Of Leroy’s three older brothers, Dr. D.A.E. Johnston was a successful dentist and inventor in Helena; Dr. Louis Johnston was a physician in Oklahoma; and Gibson Johnston owned a car dealership in Helena, where Leroy worked after his return from war. The four brothers had been out squirrel hunting when tragedy struck.

Leroy Johnston’s Purple Heart certificate

“What’s sad is that they had nothing to do with the riot. If they had just stayed in the woods for another day, maybe they could have evaded the calamity that pursues,” Mitchell said. “They hop on the train to Helena, and the train is stopped by one of the posses. The posse puts them in the back of a car handcuffed and takes them away. The narrative is that the brothers were all in the car of a well-known politician and business owner. They maintain that one of the brothers grabbed a gun and shot and killed the driver, and then the posse killed the brothers in retaliation. The brothers’ bodies were dumped on the side of the road, and they were supposedly horribly mutilated as well.” The mother of the Johnston brothers encountered yet another miscarriage of justice when she retrieved their bodies. “According to her story, the mother had to pay a bounty on the bodies before the coroner would ship them out,” Mitchell said. “She had them sent to Pine Bluff, where their father had taught and been buried. She wanted her sons buried near their father. All of the boys were buried in the same grave because their mother wanted them to be as close in death as they were in life.” Mitchell is also part of an effort to locate the brothers’ grave. Many of the burial records for Jefferson County were lost in a fire during the 1970s, which has made finding the site of the Johnston brothers’ grave difficult. Mitchell said he believes he has located the cemetery where the brothers are buried and hopes that a grave marker can be placed on their gravesite before the centennial of the Elaine Massacre in 2019.

An old newspaper article shows the Johnston brothers who were killed in the Elaine Massacre in 1919.

The bodies of the black victims of the Elaine Massacre have never been found and are believed to have been buried in a mass grave. The grave’s location remains unknown. If the Johnston brothers’ grave is found, it would be significant as the only known grave of a black victim of the Elaine Massacre, Mitchell said. Miller is thankful for Mitchell’s efforts, which is helping to bring some closure to this dark part of Miller’s family history. “As a family we grew up hearing about the Elaine Massacre, and we read Grif Stockley’s book (“Blood in Their Eyes: The Elaine Race Massacres of 1919”). It just brought up more questions. We had heard the story for years that the brothers had been buried in Pine Bluff. When Dr. Mitchell started doing his research, he narrowed the burial down to one or two cemeteries in Pine Bluff. This has brought a sense of closure because his research confirmed that these family oral histories were accurate.” The Elaine Massacre is something that many people didn’t discuss and would rather leave in the past, Miller said, but he is glad that historians are opening up discussions. “I’m really glad that these discussions are being held,” Miller said. “It used to be called the Elaine Riot, like it was blacks against whites. In reality, it was only a few white people who were shot, while the blacks were running for their lives in terror. Now there is the foundation to commemorate the Elaine Massacre. The fundamental terminology has been changed. A riot assumes two groups were fighting against each other. That’s not what happened at all. It should be classified as a massacre.” In the upper right photo, Leroy Johnston (right) is shown with two of his brothers, Drs. D.A.E. (left) and L.H. (center) Johnston.

- University News Archive - ����Vlog��ý Little Rock

����Vlog��ý Little Rock professor, students discover locations of missing Elaine 12 graves

Elaine Massacre victim to posthumously receive medals for service in World War I

- University News Archive - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

��Vlog��ý Little Rock professor, students discover locations of missing Elaine 12 graves