Organization preparing to put historical marker in Kemper County
Remembering three black sharecroppers wrongfully accused of murder
MERIDIAN, Miss. (WTOK) - Grid North African American Productions is preparing to have a historical marker placed in Kemper County to remember three black sharecroppers who were wrongfully accused of murder.
Ed Brown, Henry Shields and Arthur Ellington were accused of killing Raymond Stuart in 1934. Stuart owned the land the three men worked. The men were tortured by police until they confessed to the murder. The case eventually made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court which said that it was illegal for law enforcement to intimidate or coerce a confession without legal representation. Despite this ruling, the men remained in jail.
Grid North African American Productions is hoping to find families of the wrongfully accused and have them at the unveiling ceremony.
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