VIIMIIO >.|o viiuqri HIOISIAIO |«JIJ.ISIIII«I\J 3i(i.|« s'in>i|M|l<0fl»l)""Ml p^"po:i<b>j
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STATE OF ItfDIA::A)
)SSi
ST.JOSEPH COUNTY)
E l i s h a D a v i e , b e i n g f i r s t duly sworn upon h i s o a t h s a y s i
That on June 16, 1940 he was a r e s i d e n t of B r o w n s v i l l e , Tennessee-,
r e s i d i n g i n s a i d c i t y with, h i s w i f e Nan Davis and seven minor c h i l d r e n ; t h a t
t h i s a f f i a n t was t h e n t h i r t y - n i n e y e a r s of a^e and had been a l i f e l o n g
resi-
d e n t of t h e c i t y of B r o w n s v i l l e , T e n n e s s e e ; t h a t a t t h e hour of one a.m . on
s a i d d a t e and day t h i s a f f i a n t was awakened by a pounding on h i s d o o r ; t h a t
he responded t o s a i d pounding and opened t h e door of h i s home and found one
Tip H u n t e r , t h e n and t h e r e known t o t h i s a f f i a n t as t h e Night Marsha l of
B r o w n s v i l l e , T e n n e s s e e and was c l o t h e d i n t h e o f f i c i a l uniform of h i s
office,
i n c l u d i n g a s t a r on h i s cap and who was t h e n DemooraMo nominee f o r t h e
o f f i c e of S h e r i f f of Hayward County, T e n n e s s e e ; t h a t w i t h t h e s a i d Tip
Hunter were two o t h e r men whose i d e n t i t y was t h e n and i s now unknown t o
this affiant;
t h a ^ t h e s a i d t h r e e men e n t e r e d t h e l i v i n g room of t h e
affiant**
r e s i d e n t © and t h e s a i d Tip Hunter o r d e r e d t h i s a f f i a n t t o d r e s s and
accompany him; t h a t t h i s a f f i a n t p u t on h i s c l o t h e s and went o u t s i d e w i t h
t h e above d e s c r i b e d man and upon g e t t i n g o u t s i d e he sawr g a t h e r e d i n tthhee
s t r e e t around h i s home a mob of from f i f t y t o s i x t y men;p.thafi
h e s a i d Tip
L;p.that tThe
Hunter l e d him t o a c a r i n t o which he o r d e r e d t h i s a f f i a n t ; t h a t t h i s
affiant
upon e n t e r i n g t h e c a r t o o k a s e a t i n t h e r e a r and found t h e r e i n
one C h a r l e s Reed, t o t h i s a f f i a n t t h e n and t h e r e known as a n i g h t policeman
of B r o w n s v i l l e , Tennessee and one o t h e r w h i t e man whose i d e n t i t y was t h e n
and i s now unknown t o t h i s a f f i a n t ; t h a t t h i s a f f i a n t was t h e n d r i v e n i n s a i d
c a r t o t h a t p a r t of B r o w n s v i l l e , Tennessee/known as t h e 5*orky_Deer R i v w
Bottom where he was o r d e r e d out of t h e c a r ; t h a t upon a l i g h t i n g from t h e c a r
t h i s a f f i a n t was surrounde d by t h e above mentioned mob who had a l s o d r i v e n
out t o t h e s a i d R i v e r Bottomi and I n - t h e " s a i d mob t h i s a f f i a n t
recofenized
one Clyde Hopkins, Highway Commissioner of Hayward County, "a- l a r g e - b u i l t
t a l l nan d r e s s e d Mn a k h a k i u n i f o r m , one A l b e r t Mann, a o h u n k i l y - b u i l t man
a l s o d r e s s e d i n a khaki s h i r t and p a n t s , who was t h e n and t h e r e known t o t h i s
a f f i a n t as a farm foreman f o r one Dan Shaw, P r e s i d e n t of t h e B r o w n s v i l l e
a
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lo uiut,r, iinN M(| .du.snu.K- ,„,J0 sm,,,,,,,,,;, ,,„ Ulai, |>,,np(U(bjl
Bankj P. G. Fairy, then and there known to this affiant as a truck driver for
the Brownsville Laundry, a tall-thin man* Elliot Hayes, a grocer and meat
market proprietor of Brownsville, Tennessee, then and there known to this
affiant from whom this affiant had on many previous occasions purchased meat;
one Shorty Smith, whose true Christian name is unknown to this affiant, a
W.P/A. worker, then and there known to this affiant; one Hill Mann, farmer and
brother of Albert Maim, then and there known to this affiant; one Albert
Dixon a mule trader for Mr. Dan Shaw of the Brownsville Bank, who was then and
there known to this affiants from forty to 50 other men whose identity was
then and" is now unknown to thiB affiant j that all of the said mob including
the above identified persons encircled this affiant and Albert Mann said to
this affiant that "He have brought you out here to kill you, but I ain!t
going to let them
do it. They all want to know about that organization named
the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and who the
members are of that organization and what you Negroes intend to do"*
There-
upon this affiant told him the purposes of the National Association for the
•Advancement of Colored People among which purposes were to vote as they
want to and not to vote if they didn't want to, and to make better citizens*
Whereupon Albert Mann, Tip Hunter, Charles Reed and many other members' of
said mob told this affiant that if he did not tell them who the other members
of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People there in
Brownsville were that they would kill this affiant. Whereupon this affiant
told them the names of several members of the Brownsville, Tennessee branch
of the N. A. A. C. P. and explaining to them that at the organization meeting
of said N. A* A. C. P. branch prominent white officials of Brownsville had
been present and expressed their approval of the formation of a Brownsville
b#£*oh of the N. A. A. C. P. and their plan of encouraging colored citizens
of Brownsville to register and vote in the Fall Presidential election of
1940. That all of said mob including Tip Hunter, Will Mann, Albert Mann,
Albert Dixon, Eliot Hayes, Shorty Smith, Clyde Hopkins, Charles Reed then
told this affiant to leave the county immediately and that if he ever showed
his face therein again he would be killed. Whereupon this affiant asked
s.Th.m.jjn u B J f l n '..«»,«.«(, „|,Jav„lll!Kai|1J(, s„«,p.1||n>>l[, ^
^ ^ ^
members of said mob for permission to return to his home for additional
olothing because.he did not have sufficient clothing on his person with whioh
to travel, which permission was refused. Whereupon this affiant walked eight
or nine miles to the highway which runs to Jackson, Tennessee, that on said
highway he was picked up by two colored men whose identity was then and is now
unknown to this affiant, and taken by them to Alamo, Tennessee where this
affiant went to the residence of one Dr. Thomas;, that from the resident of
said Dr. Thomas, this affiant called Millon Mitchell of 403J- South Church St.,
Jaokson, Tennessee, who was at said time President of the Jackson Branoh
of the N. A* A* C. P. and an agent of the Atlanta Life Insurance Corapany.
Affiant further states that at the time he was ordered to leave
Hayward County as above deeoribed he was the owner and operator of a filling
station located in Brownsville, Tennessee and operated the same under the
name and style of the Davis Service Station; that in said garage thle
affiant had the following equipment whioh he was the absolute ownert one
electric air compressor, one blaok rain-coat, one pair of nubber boots,
two rubber hose, tire tools, wrenches, two hand jacks, and other paper*,
books and records connected with same business*
Affiant further states on or about July 6, 1940 "two white men from
Brownsville, Tennessee then and there known to this affiant as one
Rooks, whose true Christian name is unknown to this1 affiant and who was
employed by the Auto Supply Store of Brownsville, Tennessee, and one Fred
,. whose surname is unknown to this affiant, but who was a
night-employee of the Christmas Service Station of Brownsville, Tennessee,
came to the resident of this affiant about 2 P»U. and inquired for one
Buster If a liter, a colored man who was known to this affiant to have been the
President of the Brownsville Branch of the National Association for the'
Advancement of -Colored -Feoj>£e*~-13'ti^tuL^^^^'M^M^I^it^^a.
28th day of June, 1940 this affiant went to Memphis, Tennessee for the
purpose of relating to iir. Walter White, Executive Secretary of the National
Association for the Advancement of Colored People the facts concerning the
affiant's leaving Brownsville, Tennessee as above set forth.
Further the affiant saith not.
p.
frfcth*
fa^U?
''
Subscribed and eworn t o b e f o r e me a *otary P u b l i c i n and for s a i d
o e m t y and . t a t e t h i s 12th day o f Deoemher, 1941.
|ty coiiniiesion 'expires t
Ootober 22, 19*6
-*.-"-^a^.r?f. -:>-'-*l**"«V.JMS(
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•..TlTlllO) JO AJIMlin "HI1ISI \I(J idM.-tKIHItTIt 3l|ljit SM(lip;>||0 ) ,ll|l UIO.l] |K>,TH|lu.l(|.y}|
STATE OF IimiAKA)
)SS»
ST.JOSEPH COUNTY)
Nan Davis bein^ first duly sworn upon her oath deposes and sayst
That this ai'fiaat is the wife of Elisha Davis, for whom she has
borne seven children ranging in ages from twelve years to twelve months;
that on June 15, 1940 at about 1 A.M. she was aroused by a loud pounding on
the front door of her home in Brownsville, Tennessee where she, her husband
and children were then residing; that her husband opened the said door and
that three white men walked into the home of this affiant; that one of said
men was unknown to this affiant; that the second white man was one Albert Mann,
co-partner with his brother, Will Mann, in the operation of a grocery storji"
in Brownsville, Tennessee, known as Mann and Mann and with whom this affiant
bought groceries; that the third white nan was dressed in a policeman's
uniform with a star on his cap and was known to this affiant as Tip Hunter,
whom this afiant knew for many years and remembers as having been Sheriff of
Haywood.County several years prior to June 16, 1940; that the said Tip
Hunter told the husband of this affiant to get dressed and to go with him?
that her husband put on a pair of work pants, a blue-shirt and cap and Trent
out with the said Tip Hunter, that this affiant followed her husband outside
to the front porch and then saw a large group of wnite men milling about,
some of whom got behind her husband; that this affiant asked these men not to
harm her husband as he had not committed any offense and what they were
going to do with hamj that Albert Mann answered her by saying "You will never
see this black son of a bitch again. We are going to kill him."
That said white men then got in oars and drove away and this
affiant did not see her husband again until four weeks later at Newburn,
Tennessee.
Affitnt further states that she was born and reared in Brownsville
Tennessee and lived there continuously until a few days after June 16, 1D40
when the above incident took place.
Further the affiant saith not.
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Subscribed and w o r n t o before ™ » H 0 t a ^ . P u b l i 6 , t o
OMftty and S t a t e t h i .
17
day of
Deoember,
^
I
foa,^
«id
1941.
S
^
*
^
Ity comnission e x p i r e s t
October 22, 1945
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