Vaiden,
[Ed
Note: Links to other pages are in underlined, while emphasized text appears in pink.
The Murder of
Louis Riley
Vaiden Man Killed
The
Conservative, Bill Richards, operator of a roadside stand near Vaiden,
shot and killed Louis Riley, also of Vaiden, in a pool room in the Town of Deputy Sheriff Charger Michie
said that the shooting climaxed over an argument that started Wednesday. Riley was shot one time, died instantly, the
deputy said. Richards has been lodged
in jail at Saturday Rites
For Louis C. Riley Held In Vaiden
The
Conservative, Services for Louis C. Riley, who died on Aug. 4 were held Saturday morning at Mr. Riley was a native of He leaves his wife; four sons, Robert J. Riley of
Texas, L.C. Riley, Jr., Teddy Riley, and Pat Riley, all of Vaiden; one
daughter, Miss Jeanette Riley, of Berkley, Calif.; six brothers, Henry Riley,
Robert Riley and Willie Riley; three sisters, Mrs. Watt Doster,
Mrs. Leroy Hodges, and Mrs. Charles Van Nomen. Court Opens
Vaiden Fall Term Monday
Probable Retrial of
Goldsby Case Will Attract Wide Attention; Other Capital Cases On
Docket The
Conservative, Court and law enforcement officials at Robert
Lee Goldsby, a native of Canton, and then resident of St. Louis was sentenced to
die in 1954 for the fatal shooting of Mrs. Moselle Nelms as she rushed to the aid of her husband, wounded
during an argument with Goldsby and other Negroes with him. Legal maneuvering, appeals and hearings that
eventually reached all the way to the Supreme Court of the United States have
resulted in staying Goldsby’s execution to this
date, and in fact have resulted in an ultimatum of retrying or releasing
within eight months. Goldsby has been held under death sentence at the First, however, there will be the usual routine of
empanelling the Grand Jury and the Petit Jury. Then will come the charge to the Jury by
Judge Henry Lee Rodgers, Circuit Judge of the Fifth Circuit District of There are only five civil cases slated to be brought up at this term in an unusually light civil docket, and these are slated to be disposed of next. It is assumed that the Goldsby case
will be then taken up, although there are three capital offenses awaiting
action by the Grand Jury, which may result in trials at this term of
court. One is the case of Bill
Richards, accused in the pool room slaying of Louis Riley on August 5. Both were white residents of Vaiden. Another pending matter is the shooting of Willie
Thomas by O.T. Williams. Both are
Negroes and Thomas, seriously injured, is recovering. The third matter is the alleged rape of
Negro It is assumed that the Goldsby case will be set
first because according to Circuit Clerk George Tubeville,
Jr., certified copies of the motion for retrial by District Attorney John E.
Aldridge of Winona were sent stating that the case would be set and called on
November 12. Copies were sent to all
principals including Negro attorney George Leighton of Circuit Clerk Tubeville
has received response from Leighton indicating that he would be present
Monday. He had not heard from the two
white Governor-Elect Ross Barnett, who participated in
the original case as an attorney retained by Bryant Nelms,
husband of the murder victim, has indicated that he will participate in this
trial again assisting District Attorney Aldridge. Besides the governor-elect, other
distinguished attorneys, reporters and photographers, and interested
observers are expected to be present and strain the capacity of Vaiden’s small courthouse to the utmost. Goldsby’s original conviction was
appealed by Leighton, former Assistant Illinois Attorney General, on the
grounds that there were no Negroes on the jury that convicted Goldsby. The latest appeal fared better than
Leighton’s first appeal in 1956 on the same grounds. In 1956, the But in Leighton’s appeal to the U.S. Fifth Circuit
Court of Appeals, decided in January of this year, the court ruled that
Goldsby was tried by an unconstitutional jury, one from which Negroes were
systematically excluded. The wide publicity given the case, the legal
maneuverings of the past five years and the unprecedented order to retry or
release the defendant have all contributed to the interest in this case. The court at Vaiden will most certainly be
in the headlines, observers believe. [Ed. Note: In the same issue
of The Conservative, P. 1., a list of 50 men summoned for jury duty
was published. If the Goldsby case had
been retried at Vaiden, my father, Alf T. Collins, and my uncle, Wilson M. Caddess, had both been summoned as potential jurors for
this term of court, and would have possibly been empanelled.] Continuance for Bill Richards – Document
Image P. 197. Case against Bill Richards is continued
until next term of court. P. 199. Murder charge against Richards reduced to
manslaughter. Richards sentenced to 5
years in the State Penitentiary, with the sentence suspended. Venue Change
Given Goldsby
Goldsby Case Moved To Others Plead Guilty; Court
Ends The
Conservative, There was a quiet and almost anti-climatic ending to the fall term of court in Vaiden as Judge Henry Lee Rodgers granted a change of venue in the trial of Negro Robert Lee Goldsby, already convicted in 1954 for the slaying of a Vaiden resident, Mrs. Moselle Nelms. Court appointed defense attorney Rupert Ringold of Winona argued the motion to change the scene
of the second trial from Carroll to another county. It was opposed by District Attorney Johnny
Aldridge who was supported in his arguments by both Governor-elect Ross
Barnett and Mississippi’s Attorney General, Joe T. Patterson. In essence, a change of venue means that Goldsby
will be prosecuted, defended, and judged by the same court officials who have
already participated in the trial up to now, but the jury will be chosen from
within the county of Hinds where the new trial is to be held. Other cases pending in the court were also quickly
disposed of. Bill Richards, accused of the murder of Louis Riley in a pool room shooting that took place in Vaiden in August had his case continued to the May Term of court on plea of his attorney that Richards was physically unable to stand trial at this time. Negro O.T. Williams plead guilty to the shooting
of Willie Thomas and was sentenced by Judge Rodgers to a two-year term in the
penitentiary. Thomas, also colored,
was not present for the trial as he has not been located since his recovery
from the shooting. Another Negro, Wardell Givens,
plead guilty to the rape of China Terrell, was sentenced to serve 10 years at
Parchman. Goldsby, who had been brought to Vaiden heavily
guarded by Mississippi Highway Patrolmen, was taken to the Hinds County jail
in Jackson. Judge Rodgers set the date
to be during the week of December 7. Bill Richards
Gets Suspended Sentence
The
Conservative, November 10, 1960.
P. 1. Bill L. Richards, 55 year old Vaiden man, Tuesday was given a five year suspended sentence for the slaying of farmer Louis Riley there a year ago. Bill Richards entered a guilty plea in Carroll
County Circuit Court Tuesday. He was
charged with shooting Riley, 46, on a Vaiden street the day after the
gubernatorial election in August, 1959. Richards, initially charged with first degree
murder, changed his plea of innocent when the court reduced the charge to
manslaughter at the beginning of [the] Tuesday hearing. Dist. Atty. Chatwin
Jackson, who had asked the death penalty of Richards protested. Richards’ attorneys were Rupert Ringold of Winona and John Shands
of Tupelo. Sources considered to be informed in the matter
reported that a civil suit brought against Richards by the widow of Riley had
been settled for $75,000. However
Circuit Clerk George Tubeville, Jr. said that his records
showed that the case was still pending and that no disposition of the case
had been reported through his office. [Ed. Note:
Bill Richards was actually 50, instead of 55, as stated in this
article.] Richards Must Serve Suspended Prison Sentence [Ed. Note:
The sentence syntax in the following article is presented exactly as
it was printed.] Bill
Richards of Vaiden, who was given a suspended five year sentence after his
conviction on manslaughter charge in 1960 when he pled guilty to a reduced
charge in connection with the pool hall slaying Riley, has been ordered to
serve the prison term by Circuit Judge Marshall Perry in a hearing at Winona
last week. Judge
Perry said that he ordered Richards who owned and operated various night
clubs in this area, to serve the suspended sentence after his arrest for
public drunkenness. Bill Richards
Dies Suddenly at Residence
The
Conservative, May 6, 1965. Bill Ledell Richards died suddenly Saturday at his residence at Vaiden. He was 55. Last Rites were held Sunday at 2:00 at the Chapel of Winona Funeral Home with Rev. Morris Taylor [officiating]. Mr. Richards was born December 20, 1909 in Carroll County. He was a member of the McCarley Methodist Church. He is survived by two daughters, Mrs. Hilda R. Watkins and Mrs. Sara R. Kehle, both of Canton; one son, Holmes Liddell Richards of Paris Island, South Carolina; one sister, Mrs. Lamar White of Jacksonville, Florida; one brother, James Richards, Yazoo City; and one grandchild. Pallbearers were Bart Fowler, H.R. Michie, Waymon Ware, Buddy Eades, L.J. Chambley, and T.D. Golden. Interment was in the Philadelphia Cemetery under the direction of Winona Funeral Home. [Ed. Note: The correct year of birth for Bill Richards is 1908. The correct cemetery name is Cedarlawn Cemetery in Philadelphia, MS] |