Black Boys Burning by Grif Stockley

Author:Grif Stockley
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: University Press of Mississippi
Published: 2017-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

Almost fifty years later, the children of Wilson Hall would challenge the entire account of the whereabouts and duties of their father.

Though Lee Austin’s name had never been mentioned previously by Gaines, Wilson Hall, or anyone else in the numerous articles about the fire, Austin was now a key witness. Austin had been livestock supervisor at the school for two years. His wife was the cook, and they lived on campus.

Austin said, “I was in the building until about 3 o’clock when the lights went off, and I went home across campus to get a flashlight to check on the lights.… I was in my house looking for a flashlight. Then I heard someone yelling and saw a big light.” Austin further said, “Mr. Hall had been by a couple of times, I heard him talking to some of the boys.” Austin also admitted that he left no one in charge. Crucial to his position was the reason for leaving the boys. According to him, the lights were off in the dorm, “It was raining, storming and real windy. I went to get a light to try to see how to get the lights back on.”

SMITH: “You were taking 20 to 30 minutes to go approximately 100 yards to get a flashlight?”

AUSTIN: “Yes, sir, but I never did find it. I was hunting for it but I never did find it.”

SMITH: “Mr. Austin, isn’t it a fact that you left the building, locked the door, and went home and went to bed?”

AUSTIN: “No. sir.”

SMITH: “Mr. Austin, isn’t it a fact that you actually did leave the dorm about 10 pm?”

AUSTIN: “No. Sir.”

SMITH: “How can you explain, Mr. Austin [that] people who were not on duty, in bed, sound asleep, could located [sic] the fire before you did?”

AUSTIN: “I just don’t know.13

With this last question and Austin’s answer, there was no way to back out of it. Though Mrs. Austin had previously testified that her husband had not been home that night until the moment they were given news of the fire, she apparently was believed by no one.

Finally, Gaines was called by Smith, but unaccountably he was not asked to explain the contradictions that ran all through the statements he and Hall had given to reporters. Smith didn’t follow through with these important questions even though Gaines might well have brushed them aside. Instead, Gaines was given questions that allowed him to establish that though he had assigned Austin and Hall to duties at the dorm, he didn’t know whether Austin had been in the building or not. Smith did ask Gaines if he had questioned Austin and Hall after the fire, but Gaines claimed he had not. This response was curious, but Gaines explained it by saying, “I knew my Board would make a thorough investigation of this; I felt that I should leave it up to them, and not try to create prejudice on the part of any employee. I have refrained from discussing this with all of my staff as I want the facts derived from this investigation.

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