Image by Tony the Misfit via FlickrMarshall News Messenger September 19, 2010 Historical marker honors one of civil rights movement’s earliest martyrsOn Oct. 23 - 55 years after the night Reese lost his life - the few remaining alumni of the Mayflower School will join the entire Tatum community to dedicate a memorial in the name of John Earl Reese. Clifford Harkless, who grew up in the small community just north of Tatum, said he hopes it can help heal old wounds while also educating future generations about the mistakes of the past.
The murderers were two white men, Perry Dean Ross, 22, and Joseph Reagan Simpson, 21. Both were convicted of the crime, but never spent a day in jail. Their sentences of five years were suspended.
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