Comments on: The Life and Death of Davis Knight after State vs. Knight (1948)

By: Racial identity and the law: miscegenation and the “one drop rule” « Renegade South

Fri, 05 Aug 2011 00:08:57 +0000

[...] example, in 1949, the Mississippi Supreme Court reversed and remanded Davis Knight’s 1948 conviction* for miscegenation (marrying across the color line) on grounds that the prosecution had failed to [...]

By: renegadesouth

renegadesouth — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 20:28:46 +0000

Very interesting, Hayley! It certainly sounds as though your “Ms Johnson” was Junie Lee Spradley, the woman whose marriage to Davis Knight led to his miscegenation trial. A little research, or perhaps some knowledgable reader, might confirm whether Junie Lee married someone named Johnson after her divorce from Davis. In any case, a very sad story, indeed.

Thanks also for letting Jon and me know that you read and enjoyed our contributions to the Jones County Review last fall in regard to the Jenkins/Stauffer book. Jon’s satirical essay that got things going in that newspaper was a masterpiece!

Vikki

By: Hayley

Hayley — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 19:37:53 +0000

Mr. Knight, I read your comments about the log and the cave near Reddoch’s ferry. I have been casually exploring the Leaf by kayak lately and I would love (LOVE) to have more specific detail on the location of these things if you can provide it. That part of the river is super shallow, so “just north of the ferry” could mean hours of paddling and looking if I can’t get some specifics

By: Hayley

Hayley — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 19:31:55 +0000

At the risk of passing on gossip, i believe the ex-wife of Davis Knight led an equally tragic post-trial life. If I am not mistaken, a woman by the name of “Ms. Johnson” used to walk through downtown Laurel begging for money. My employer often helped her by paying her utiliities or her grocery tab. When she died, in fact, he paid for her to be buried so that she would not have to be buried in a pauper’s grave. “Ms. Johnson” once mentioned that she tried to marry a man (who looked white) but whom the local officials accused of being black, and the marriage was prevented it until it went “all the way to the Supreme Court” and was allowed. Since the Knight trial was the only miscegenation case to reach Mississippi’s Supreme Court, I have assumed that Ms. Johnson is the former Mrs. Davis Knight. Tom Knight, Newt’s son, might have peddled pencils in the same area downtown, outside the old Kress’s building, if the information I have received is correct.

And to both Mr. Odell and Dr. Bynum, your submissions kept me reading the Review of Jones County for months. I never submitted a letter to the paper because I felt that Mr. Odell captured my sentiments perfectly. Job well done defending honest and earnest research.

By: Jon Odell

Jon Odell — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 03:05:48 +0000

Doug, if you found “State of Jones” enjoyable and informative, then you are in for a treat. Read Dr. Bynum’s “The Free State of Jones,” the book from which “State of Jones” mined the majority of its contents. Unfortunately, this later book pales in both authenticity, thoroughness, and entertainment value to Bynum’s opus.

By: renegadesouth

renegadesouth — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 03:03:30 +0000

Thanks for your comments, Doug.

I agree; Davis Knight’s miscegenation trial and his tragically short life is an important historical event and an interesting story as well.

If you are referring to Stauffer and Jenkins’s book, State of Jones, I recommend that you also read my three-part review of their book on this site:

http://renegadesouth.wordpress.com/2009/07/03/the-state-of-jones-by-sally-jenkins-and-john-stauffer-a-review-part-one/

Good luck with your historical career!

Vikki

By: Doug Traylor

Doug Traylor — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 02:19:05 +0000

I just read ” The State of Jones” which covers the Knight Family from early 1800 thru the 1960s. It gives extensive details about the family,, is a real eye opener to a historian such as myself.
This book was purchased thru Amazon.com for .04 cents, plus shipping of 3.99 an was well worth the costs,, I did not stop reading it daily, until completed, then did a Google for Davis Knight v. State of Mississippi, which gave me this site an many others.
Doug Traylor educator, historian..

By: renegadesouth

renegadesouth — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 15:17:41 +0000

My thanks to Deborah Jiang Stein for taking the time to comment. Be sure and visit the Huffington Post to read her personal and insightful observations about multiracialism.

I’m certain you’re right, Deborah, that there are many, many more stories like those of the Knight family waiting to be shared.

Vikki

By: muttslikeme

muttslikeme — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 13:35:05 +0000

This is fascinating to learn. Thanks for bringing hidden pieces of history to the surface. You’ll see why it matters to me here http://www.huffingtonpost.com/deborah-jiang-stein and I wonder how many hundreds more are out there with similar stories.

By: renegadesouth

renegadesouth — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 01:27:01 +0000

Hello, William,
Yes, I will contact you shortly.

Vikki