1 00:00:04,200 --> 00:00:06,400 Speaker 1: Hey, and welcome to the Short Stuff. I'm Josh and 2 00:00:06,400 --> 00:00:11,360 Speaker 1: there's Chuck and this is short stuff. So here we go. Yeah, 3 00:00:11,400 --> 00:00:15,360 Speaker 1: short stuff, terrible, awful, sad story with a bit of 4 00:00:15,400 --> 00:00:17,560 Speaker 1: a silver lining on it. Have you have you heard 5 00:00:17,560 --> 00:00:21,680 Speaker 1: of Bula May Donald? I had not. I had neither. 6 00:00:21,800 --> 00:00:24,760 Speaker 1: Actually I found this article on how stuff works by 7 00:00:24,840 --> 00:00:29,000 Speaker 1: John Donovan, uh, and it was very eye opening. Um 8 00:00:29,080 --> 00:00:31,800 Speaker 1: Beulah May Donald was a woman who lived in Alabama 9 00:00:32,760 --> 00:00:36,680 Speaker 1: who is well known for having taken on the clan 10 00:00:36,920 --> 00:00:41,199 Speaker 1: in one she basically sued the clan and ended up 11 00:00:41,240 --> 00:00:46,080 Speaker 1: disassembling at least a significant portion of the clan operating 12 00:00:46,120 --> 00:00:48,960 Speaker 1: in the South at the time. Right, And this was 13 00:00:49,000 --> 00:00:52,680 Speaker 1: not in the nineteen fifties or sixties. This on theies. 14 00:00:53,400 --> 00:00:56,600 Speaker 1: And it's a very shocking story, so you know, trigger 15 00:00:56,600 --> 00:01:00,640 Speaker 1: warnings about But she got the news when her son, 16 00:01:00,760 --> 00:01:03,800 Speaker 1: Michael did not come home. He was I believe, the 17 00:01:03,840 --> 00:01:06,880 Speaker 1: youngest of seven kids. And the next morning got a 18 00:01:06,880 --> 00:01:09,600 Speaker 1: call that said, hey, they found her son's wallet, and 19 00:01:09,640 --> 00:01:12,120 Speaker 1: she thought that might be good news, that may he 20 00:01:12,240 --> 00:01:15,120 Speaker 1: may be out there somewhere, but they said no, Um, 21 00:01:15,200 --> 00:01:18,400 Speaker 1: he was killed and he was murdered at the age 22 00:01:18,440 --> 00:01:22,399 Speaker 1: of nineteen, beaten with a tree limb, his throat cut 23 00:01:23,000 --> 00:01:26,960 Speaker 1: and had a noose tied around his neck, and after 24 00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:29,480 Speaker 1: he died, his body was pulled up into a tree 25 00:01:30,080 --> 00:01:33,760 Speaker 1: and hanged there just a few blocks from his house. Um, 26 00:01:34,280 --> 00:01:37,520 Speaker 1: the first lynching in the United States, I believe for 27 00:01:37,560 --> 00:01:40,480 Speaker 1: about twenty years. Yeah, I mean that qualifies as the 28 00:01:40,600 --> 00:01:44,560 Speaker 1: lynching and this one right, so America's moved on from 29 00:01:44,640 --> 00:01:47,480 Speaker 1: lynch ings, and this just shocked the conscience of the 30 00:01:47,680 --> 00:01:50,520 Speaker 1: of the entire country, like it made national news. It 31 00:01:50,640 --> 00:01:54,400 Speaker 1: was a really big deal. Um, and a Bulah May 32 00:01:54,480 --> 00:01:57,400 Speaker 1: followed in the footsteps of Mami Till and had the 33 00:01:57,480 --> 00:02:00,920 Speaker 1: casket kept open for the world to see. Really drive 34 00:02:00,960 --> 00:02:03,280 Speaker 1: home like this. This just happened like this really happened 35 00:02:03,280 --> 00:02:08,280 Speaker 1: it and UM, very quickly the police zeroed in on 36 00:02:08,320 --> 00:02:11,600 Speaker 1: the Ku Klux Klan, and the clan at the time 37 00:02:12,040 --> 00:02:15,800 Speaker 1: was um nothing like they were, you know, twenty years before, 38 00:02:16,120 --> 00:02:19,200 Speaker 1: but they were still active and in Alabama, there was 39 00:02:19,200 --> 00:02:22,480 Speaker 1: a particularly violent chapter of the clan, the United Clans 40 00:02:22,520 --> 00:02:26,200 Speaker 1: of America. And it just so happened that across the 41 00:02:26,240 --> 00:02:30,240 Speaker 1: street from where Michael Donald's body was hanging. Uh, members 42 00:02:30,240 --> 00:02:33,120 Speaker 1: of the United Clans of America were watching the police 43 00:02:33,200 --> 00:02:36,119 Speaker 1: take the body down, and then later on that night 44 00:02:36,360 --> 00:02:41,360 Speaker 1: a cross was burned into the courthouse lawn in Mobile County. 45 00:02:41,400 --> 00:02:44,320 Speaker 1: This is all this all happened in Mobile, Alabama, so 46 00:02:44,360 --> 00:02:46,560 Speaker 1: they knew it was the clan, and yet the police 47 00:02:46,600 --> 00:02:51,000 Speaker 1: were not exactly um, super efficient in bringing the clan 48 00:02:51,080 --> 00:02:54,560 Speaker 1: to justice in Alabama at this time. Yeah, I think 49 00:02:54,560 --> 00:02:57,280 Speaker 1: that's probably the kindest way you can say that to 50 00:02:57,480 --> 00:03:02,640 Speaker 1: two years to get any kind of chrome old justice. Um. 51 00:03:02,680 --> 00:03:05,320 Speaker 1: I believe that if it had not been for Beula 52 00:03:05,360 --> 00:03:09,080 Speaker 1: May Donald causing such a ruckus, it probably would have 53 00:03:09,080 --> 00:03:11,119 Speaker 1: been swept under the rug and gone away without any 54 00:03:11,160 --> 00:03:15,880 Speaker 1: kind of convictions. But she Um kept stirring the pot 55 00:03:16,000 --> 00:03:20,200 Speaker 1: and kept advocating for more police work. Um the police. 56 00:03:20,200 --> 00:03:24,240 Speaker 1: At one point, had Um suggested that her son's death 57 00:03:24,320 --> 00:03:26,800 Speaker 1: was the result of a drug deal gone bad, because 58 00:03:26,800 --> 00:03:32,160 Speaker 1: that's what yeah, exactly right. So that of course further 59 00:03:32,200 --> 00:03:34,920 Speaker 1: and since her and that and since you know, more 60 00:03:34,920 --> 00:03:37,280 Speaker 1: people in the country to get on board, and once 61 00:03:37,320 --> 00:03:41,960 Speaker 1: you've got Jesse Jackson and the Bullhorn uh squad going, 62 00:03:42,440 --> 00:03:45,280 Speaker 1: then you better take some action because it's just not 63 00:03:45,320 --> 00:03:47,520 Speaker 1: gonna go away like you wanted to know. And it 64 00:03:47,640 --> 00:03:50,920 Speaker 1: was the police mirroring her son's name. That that was, 65 00:03:51,160 --> 00:03:54,960 Speaker 1: she said, what drove her this whole time, absolutely, even 66 00:03:55,040 --> 00:03:58,120 Speaker 1: even beyond the murder, it was it was that they 67 00:03:58,360 --> 00:04:01,880 Speaker 1: they characterized her on as a drug dealer, drug user. 68 00:04:01,920 --> 00:04:04,720 Speaker 1: Even she she invited the police to come searches room. 69 00:04:04,760 --> 00:04:07,520 Speaker 1: They searches room, they found nothing, and that just set 70 00:04:07,560 --> 00:04:10,680 Speaker 1: her off on this path. She also had a friend 71 00:04:10,680 --> 00:04:14,200 Speaker 1: and a newly appointed or elected I can't remember, district 72 00:04:14,240 --> 00:04:18,440 Speaker 1: attorney who got the FBI involved, And once the FBI 73 00:04:18,560 --> 00:04:20,880 Speaker 1: finally got involved in the local police were kind of 74 00:04:20,880 --> 00:04:25,360 Speaker 1: pushed to the background. Uh. Two men were arrested UM 75 00:04:25,920 --> 00:04:28,760 Speaker 1: a guy named Henry Hayes and another guy named James 76 00:04:28,839 --> 00:04:35,240 Speaker 1: Tiger Knowles twenty six and seventeen, respectively, and they were convicted. 77 00:04:35,279 --> 00:04:38,880 Speaker 1: They were tried and convicted of killing Michael Donald um 78 00:04:39,000 --> 00:04:41,160 Speaker 1: And and the whole thing, it turned out was was 79 00:04:41,360 --> 00:04:45,599 Speaker 1: created were spurred on by the clan's anger at a 80 00:04:45,680 --> 00:04:49,679 Speaker 1: local jury um to have failed to convict a black 81 00:04:49,720 --> 00:04:51,680 Speaker 1: man for the murder of a white policeman, so they 82 00:04:51,720 --> 00:04:55,920 Speaker 1: decided to even things by finding a random, hapless, nineteen 83 00:04:55,960 --> 00:04:57,919 Speaker 1: year old man who happened to be walking down the 84 00:04:57,960 --> 00:05:01,520 Speaker 1: street um at the wrong time. Well, it was strictly 85 00:05:01,560 --> 00:05:03,320 Speaker 1: a case of the wrong place at the wrong time, 86 00:05:03,360 --> 00:05:06,839 Speaker 1: and that's what led to the murder of Michael Donald. Uh, 87 00:05:06,839 --> 00:05:09,800 Speaker 1: that's right. He believe Hayes will sentenced to death. No, 88 00:05:09,920 --> 00:05:13,400 Speaker 1: also sentenced to life in prison. And we're going to 89 00:05:13,520 --> 00:05:15,800 Speaker 1: take a break because that is not the end of 90 00:05:15,800 --> 00:05:42,480 Speaker 1: this story. UM. It gets better from here, all right. 91 00:05:42,560 --> 00:05:46,039 Speaker 1: So we promised a silver lining and uh, you know, 92 00:05:46,160 --> 00:05:48,440 Speaker 1: of course, when something like this happens, it's a tragedy 93 00:05:48,839 --> 00:05:52,320 Speaker 1: that can't be undone. But Bulamay was not finished with 94 00:05:52,360 --> 00:05:54,920 Speaker 1: the clan and decided, you know what I'm gonna do. 95 00:05:55,400 --> 00:05:57,880 Speaker 1: I'm gonna sue him. I'm gonna take them to civil trial. 96 00:05:58,480 --> 00:06:00,880 Speaker 1: I don't think this had ever been and done. This 97 00:06:00,920 --> 00:06:05,560 Speaker 1: was in UM other planeiffs jumped on board and they 98 00:06:05,680 --> 00:06:10,800 Speaker 1: sought compensation for UM. What they said was basically a 99 00:06:10,920 --> 00:06:14,720 Speaker 1: right to live free and free from being intimidated and 100 00:06:14,760 --> 00:06:19,320 Speaker 1: harassed and physically harmed and killed because the clan is 101 00:06:19,360 --> 00:06:23,760 Speaker 1: still in operation, because we're black citizens of the United States. 102 00:06:24,520 --> 00:06:26,839 Speaker 1: And I'm sure at first they probably thought like this 103 00:06:26,920 --> 00:06:30,160 Speaker 1: lawsuits going nowhere, but that was not the case. Knowing 104 00:06:30,200 --> 00:06:32,760 Speaker 1: the lawsuit was helped out by a number of people, 105 00:06:32,800 --> 00:06:37,640 Speaker 1: including the Southern Poverty Law Centers founder Morris D's and UM. 106 00:06:37,680 --> 00:06:40,880 Speaker 1: In that that civil suit, like you were saying, they 107 00:06:40,880 --> 00:06:44,400 Speaker 1: basically alleged that the clan as an organization was trying 108 00:06:44,400 --> 00:06:49,240 Speaker 1: to to deprive black citizens throughout Alabama from some of 109 00:06:49,279 --> 00:06:54,919 Speaker 1: their basic constitutional rights by intimidating them, by murdering black 110 00:06:54,960 --> 00:06:59,080 Speaker 1: people to to use as an intimidation tactic, UM and 111 00:06:59,200 --> 00:07:02,520 Speaker 1: in doing that, by depriving them of their rights. They 112 00:07:02,800 --> 00:07:05,760 Speaker 1: had like actually a really strong lawsuit. The thing that 113 00:07:05,839 --> 00:07:09,080 Speaker 1: made it unusual, well, one they were suing the clan, 114 00:07:09,520 --> 00:07:12,120 Speaker 1: but two they were coming at the clan as an organization. 115 00:07:12,600 --> 00:07:14,640 Speaker 1: So in the same way that like if you work 116 00:07:14,720 --> 00:07:17,320 Speaker 1: at McDonald's and you don't like the looks of one 117 00:07:17,360 --> 00:07:19,560 Speaker 1: of your customers and you throw hot fried grease in 118 00:07:19,560 --> 00:07:23,440 Speaker 1: their face, it's not just on you. McDonald's is culpable too. 119 00:07:23,520 --> 00:07:26,440 Speaker 1: They hired you. You're a representative of their corporation, Like 120 00:07:26,480 --> 00:07:28,680 Speaker 1: they're on the hook too. That's how they were trying 121 00:07:28,720 --> 00:07:30,960 Speaker 1: to sue the clan. These weren't just clan members. They 122 00:07:30,960 --> 00:07:33,600 Speaker 1: were definitely clan members that did this, but the clan 123 00:07:33,960 --> 00:07:39,280 Speaker 1: as a whole was being sued because the organization encouraged 124 00:07:39,360 --> 00:07:44,280 Speaker 1: this kind of behavior, if not that particular act specifically. Yeah, 125 00:07:44,320 --> 00:07:49,280 Speaker 1: and so Hayes and and Knowles were obviously convicted for 126 00:07:49,360 --> 00:07:52,320 Speaker 1: the crime named in the suit, but more people were 127 00:07:52,400 --> 00:07:56,880 Speaker 1: dragged into this. UM. Hayes's father, Benny Jack Hayes, he 128 00:07:56,920 --> 00:07:59,360 Speaker 1: was an official, pretty high ranking one in the clan. 129 00:08:00,280 --> 00:08:04,160 Speaker 1: A man by the name of Frank Cox, and another 130 00:08:04,240 --> 00:08:08,480 Speaker 1: clan member who uh supposedly supplies supplied the rope used 131 00:08:08,480 --> 00:08:11,080 Speaker 1: for the hanging. That was Frank Cox. Yeah, ok oh, 132 00:08:11,120 --> 00:08:14,680 Speaker 1: that was Cox. Okay um so inn. In February of 133 00:08:14,720 --> 00:08:17,040 Speaker 1: that year, a jury in all white jury, mind you 134 00:08:17,840 --> 00:08:20,280 Speaker 1: h in the U. S. District Court the Southern District 135 00:08:20,280 --> 00:08:24,480 Speaker 1: of Alabama, UM awarded Beulah Maydonald and the other plaintiff 136 00:08:24,520 --> 00:08:28,600 Speaker 1: seven million bucks, which is about fifteen to seventeen million 137 00:08:28,640 --> 00:08:33,520 Speaker 1: dollars today. And that was a real settlement, Like she 138 00:08:33,640 --> 00:08:38,880 Speaker 1: basically uh was handed the keys to their headquarters and 139 00:08:39,040 --> 00:08:41,680 Speaker 1: she sold it for money. Yeah, the clan did not 140 00:08:41,800 --> 00:08:46,040 Speaker 1: have sixteen million in today's dollars to hand us anybody. Again, 141 00:08:46,080 --> 00:08:50,360 Speaker 1: they were on the wayne. So this bankrupted the clan. UM. 142 00:08:50,480 --> 00:08:55,520 Speaker 1: Beulah Maydonald's lawsuit bankrupted the the United Clans. Um again 143 00:08:55,559 --> 00:08:58,160 Speaker 1: this really violent group and this this was this group 144 00:08:58,160 --> 00:09:01,600 Speaker 1: in particular, was they responsible for the Sixteenth Street Baptist 145 00:09:01,679 --> 00:09:06,000 Speaker 1: Church bombing. They murdered Viola Louso, the civil rights activist 146 00:09:06,080 --> 00:09:09,520 Speaker 1: at Selma. They beat freedom writers in Birmingham. This group 147 00:09:09,559 --> 00:09:13,520 Speaker 1: really excelled at being pieces of human garbage. And she 148 00:09:13,679 --> 00:09:17,480 Speaker 1: disassembled their group. She she bankrupted them. But even better, chuck, 149 00:09:17,640 --> 00:09:20,800 Speaker 1: even better than that. Because of evidence that was presented 150 00:09:20,840 --> 00:09:24,120 Speaker 1: at the civil trial, Jack Hayes and Frank Cox were 151 00:09:24,160 --> 00:09:27,920 Speaker 1: also indicted as well, along with Knowls and the younger 152 00:09:27,960 --> 00:09:31,559 Speaker 1: Henry Hayes, who had already been convicted. That's right, Uh, 153 00:09:31,600 --> 00:09:33,360 Speaker 1: and it doed. It did not end well for any 154 00:09:33,400 --> 00:09:36,520 Speaker 1: of them. Uh. Henry Hayes, who actually committed the murder, 155 00:09:36,960 --> 00:09:41,880 Speaker 1: Um died by way of electric chair. Even though Beula May, 156 00:09:42,000 --> 00:09:45,720 Speaker 1: who was a devout I believe Baptist, was against the 157 00:09:45,720 --> 00:09:50,040 Speaker 1: death penalty and was not in favor of the man 158 00:09:50,120 --> 00:09:53,760 Speaker 1: who killed her son dying in the electric chair. Uh. 159 00:09:53,760 --> 00:09:55,360 Speaker 1: He was forty two years old. I think it was 160 00:09:55,440 --> 00:09:59,560 Speaker 1: the very first execution of a white person for crimes 161 00:09:59,559 --> 00:10:02,640 Speaker 1: against a black person in more than eighty years in 162 00:10:02,679 --> 00:10:07,000 Speaker 1: the State of Alabama. Benny Jack Hayes, the father Um, 163 00:10:07,080 --> 00:10:09,440 Speaker 1: he was indicted to but he died before his trial 164 00:10:09,840 --> 00:10:12,640 Speaker 1: was completed. He was never sentenced. But Frank Cox, the 165 00:10:12,640 --> 00:10:15,160 Speaker 1: guy who supplied the rope, he was found guilty and 166 00:10:15,160 --> 00:10:18,160 Speaker 1: sentenced to ninety nine years in prison. So all these 167 00:10:18,200 --> 00:10:21,760 Speaker 1: guys who basically decided to do this like got like 168 00:10:21,960 --> 00:10:25,760 Speaker 1: real justice in Alabama. Again, like it's nine eighty one, 169 00:10:25,760 --> 00:10:28,480 Speaker 1: but it's still eighty one in Alabama. And the an 170 00:10:28,520 --> 00:10:33,120 Speaker 1: all white jury jury favor found in favor of Beulah 171 00:10:33,160 --> 00:10:36,400 Speaker 1: may and her Um her lawsuit. And then when after 172 00:10:36,480 --> 00:10:39,440 Speaker 1: these other guys too, it was about as beautiful an 173 00:10:39,480 --> 00:10:43,199 Speaker 1: outcome as you could hope for from some despicable act 174 00:10:43,280 --> 00:10:47,920 Speaker 1: like this. Absolutely knowles, if you're wondering the other young man, 175 00:10:47,960 --> 00:10:50,280 Speaker 1: I believe he, like you said, he was seventeen at 176 00:10:50,280 --> 00:10:54,520 Speaker 1: the time of the murder. Um was very seemingly remorseful. 177 00:10:54,600 --> 00:10:58,600 Speaker 1: At the civil trial. Um apologized in tears to Beulah 178 00:10:58,600 --> 00:11:01,640 Speaker 1: May Uh testify against the other guys, and but he 179 00:11:01,679 --> 00:11:03,679 Speaker 1: still went to prison for quite a long time. He 180 00:11:03,720 --> 00:11:08,160 Speaker 1: was just released in Yeah, I think around twenty five 181 00:11:08,240 --> 00:11:11,880 Speaker 1: years in prison is what he did. Um and Beulah 182 00:11:11,880 --> 00:11:15,920 Speaker 1: May throughout like even at their their criminal trials, she 183 00:11:15,920 --> 00:11:18,000 Speaker 1: she said that they she forgave both of them, She 184 00:11:18,080 --> 00:11:21,559 Speaker 1: forgave them all. It was again the thing that drove 185 00:11:21,559 --> 00:11:23,920 Speaker 1: her was clearing her son's name, that this was not 186 00:11:24,040 --> 00:11:26,200 Speaker 1: a drug deal. This was the clan that did this 187 00:11:26,320 --> 00:11:29,680 Speaker 1: and her son had it was totally innocent. Um. And 188 00:11:29,840 --> 00:11:32,839 Speaker 1: as a matter of fact, Herndon Avenue, where Michael's body 189 00:11:32,880 --> 00:11:37,920 Speaker 1: was found hanging from a tree, was renamed in his honor. Yeah, 190 00:11:38,080 --> 00:11:39,760 Speaker 1: and if you want to know more about it, CN 191 00:11:39,840 --> 00:11:41,960 Speaker 1: ended a four part series called The People Versus the 192 00:11:42,000 --> 00:11:45,720 Speaker 1: Claim The Untold story of Beulah May Donald, which seems 193 00:11:45,760 --> 00:11:49,160 Speaker 1: work worth checking out. Yeah. And Beulah May herself passed 194 00:11:49,160 --> 00:11:52,319 Speaker 1: away at sixty seven, um, sadly only about a year 195 00:11:52,320 --> 00:11:56,600 Speaker 1: and a half after the verdict. But she was alive 196 00:11:56,640 --> 00:11:59,360 Speaker 1: during the verdict. And I think that was a big deal. Yeah, 197 00:11:59,520 --> 00:12:02,880 Speaker 1: for sure. Uh So I think that's it. That's the 198 00:12:02,920 --> 00:12:06,400 Speaker 1: story of Bula Maydonald taking on the clan and everybody's 199 00:12:06,400 --> 00:12:12,079 Speaker 1: short stuff is out. Stuff you Should Know is a 200 00:12:12,120 --> 00:12:15,480 Speaker 1: production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts my Heart Radio, 201 00:12:15,720 --> 00:12:18,800 Speaker 1: visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you 202 00:12:18,880 --> 00:12:22,880 Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows. H