One Night of Madness

by Stokes McMillan

On the cusp of the civil rights movement, tragedy and injustice in rural Southern towns was not uncommon, but the wickedness as retold by author Stokes McMillan in One Night of Madness is shocking and utterly desperate. The year was 1950. Mary Ella Harris, a mother of five, works hard sharecropping alongside her husband, a man with a penchant for gambling, drinking, and associating with unsavory white people. When she is cornered in her home by Leon Turner, a white man who refuses to take no for an answer, Mary Ella narrowly avoids an attempted rape. After his arrest, Leon escapes jail and enacts a bloody revenge with two accomplices. The sheriff, a former bookkeeper, leads the biggest manhunt in Mississippi history, which ends in a blazing shootout. With the eyes of the nation watching, the state itself is on trial. The jury's controversial decision is rebuffed by many, including William Faulkner, and a battle line is drawn that ultimately serves as a catalyst for change.

426 pages, Paperback

First published November 11, 2009

Reviews

[Rossie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this. I grew up hearing the Leon Turner story but never knew the details, not even which part of the county it happened in. Maybe the greatest value for me was helping me see what Attala County was like 60 years ago. It's the rare book written today about Mississippi that's not a civil rights-era story. It's set in 1950. This is the time when my parents were young adolescents, and so I read it imagining them going about their 11- and 12-year-old lives, knowing that murderers were loose nearby. The rural life seems awfully unsettling from this perspective, where you were left to your own mercies if an intruder entered your home, and you had no phone, no car, no nearby neighbors, and you couldn't reach your gun.

I also read somewhere that it was the first case of a white man being convicted for the murder of black victims in the state of Mississippi. People sometimes lose sight of the fact that the jury deliberated a long time and (I think) toyed with acquittal. And that a black man so convicted would have been assured the death penalty. It predates all the famous civil rights cases by at least a few years, and I don't think it's properly considered one itself, though people sometimes refer to it that way. Positioned halfway through the 20th century, it hints at changes to come in only a few years. One of the two or three most important stories of the last century in Attala County history.

[Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a little disturbing to see one of your relatives mentioned in a true story, but not necessarily in a good way. But a great read....

[Lenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent story of poverty and simple living in Mississippi in the 1950's. Moonshine, murder, and mayhem unfortunately take place.

[Nichola · Rating 4 out of 5]

True crime is not at all my genre, but I heard the author speak about the story here and how he became acquainted with it and gave it a go. It was a big story, and he faithfully and compassionately researched and documented so many of the histories of the people involved. I did lose track a bit-but I made it through and can agree that it was an important story of a time and a crime and a trial. Apparently, it was well received by many of the folks still affected by the case, and that is meaningful too.

[Jerry W · Rating 4 out of 5]

True events culminating in the tragic death of several truly innocent children and the aftermath involving a small rural Mississippi county in 1950. Intrigue, drama, real life, ineptitude, opportunistic individuals, larger than life characters; all present and exposed for curious consideration. The scathing letter written by William Faulkner to the Commercial Appeal (pg.361) remains a challenge to all when dealing with injustices in our current arenas. Undoubtedly, a thought provoking read!

[George Crowder · Rating 5 out of 5]

A devastating, novelistic account of a horrific incident.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Truly great read! The character building is fantastic and the area is so well described socially you find yourself building these people and their society around you. The matter of fact dealings of race, and the frank way they are addressed in the book are an interesting window into the history of civil rights and the changing opinions about race relations. At the same time the economics and the social strata of the evolving south are portrayed well here. Over all the story is tragic, but the author is matter of fact in his description, and the heartbreak is left to the story itself rather than the creative manipulations of the author, it is powerful and it really stays with you. Most impressive is the list of sources and the interviews and homework that the author clearly did to bring this story to life.
I was pleased to read the short aftermath of some of the characters, it added more to see in that brief way how life goes on. I can't imagine how difficult this one was to write, for so many reasons, but Mr. McMillan has done an impressive job. It is clear the reason he ended up writing this story is personal and I don't know if he has found more stories to tell, but I would be interested if he did.

[Charity · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is stunningly well-written. The reader gets to know the players in the story intricately, yet it does not have the feel of being exploitative like some "true crime" novels or narratives surrounding racial tensions can be. I became interested in this book because a colleague of mine in the education field told me about it; he shared it with me both because he has familial ties to people in the book and because we have discussed issues of race often. However, I wasn't more than a few pages into it before the hook that made me pick up the book became far deeper than the personal connection I shared with a friend. Again, the people in this book become so real, I found myself thinking about them throughout the day and long after I'd read the book. And? When the reader is confronted with the reality that these shameful events weren't relatively that long ago (the 1950's), he or she becomes even more emotionally invested.

[Deborah Quarles · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is part crime drama and part race relations study of mid-century Mississippi. Great time has been taken to set the scene, so to speak. More importantly, the author thoroughly researched the lives, family lineage, and personalities of the people captured on these pages.

This location of the events--Attala County, Mississippi--is the area in which my mother grew up. It is a small community, so the places are familiar, as are some of the people. It is an historical account, with some narrative conclusions drawn by the author.

The book will have enormous draw for those connected to the area. And the crimes described are truly horrifying. But the most remarkable aspect is the rich details describing the inter-racial relations between families in rural Mississippi in the first half of th twentieth century.

[Alyson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a true crime that happened in Attala County, MS(where I grew up). It happened when my parents were young...and it turns out that I recognized many names in the book. I spoke with my grandfather, Ephriam Burrell, about the book a few months ago and he surprised me with what he knew about many of the characters and the actual crime itself. It turns out that the "potato shack" actually sits on Grandaddy's land.
I couldn't put the book down. McMillan's attention to detail and choice of descriptive words are enough to keep you on pins and needles waiting to see what happens next. The crime is SICKENING and I found myself wanting to close my eyes through parts of it. It is a story that needs to be read and recognized. VERY GOOD...I hope McMillan writes more!

[Somer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was very eager to read this book after my father (one of the current 5th circuit court judges in Attala County, Mississippi) told me about it at Christmas. I finally got the opportunity to read it last week. Reading about my home county (and even though I've lived away from Attala County more than 3x as long as I lived there, it will always be home) brought back so many memories.

I think Mr. McMillan did a remarkable job of establishing place and character. I was riveted through most of the book, and not just because I had a local interest. The crime depicted in this novel was despicable, and I'm glad Mr. McMillan has given it a voice.

[Lynn Shurden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great MS book about madness with regard to race and murder.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wonderful true crime book. He builds the story based on the cover photo. It takes place in Mississippi when segregation was a part of life there. It's not what you may at first think.

[Andrew Spradling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent read, depicting an interesting era in America's history. Stokes McMillian truly found a way to creatively write non-fiction. Like a great novel, it became a page-turner.