In April 1963, civil rights activist William Lewis Moore set out alone on a 320-mile walk from Chattanooga, Tennessee, to Jackson, Mississippi, carrying a letter for segregationist Gov. Ross Barnett. On April 23, the 35-year-old postal worker was found shot to death in northeast Alabama.In this episode of Southern Mysteries, we explore Moore’s life beyond his final walk, the family he left behind, the threats and warnings he encountered along the road, the investigation into his killing, and the questions that remain more than 60 years later.
💌 Join the Community on Patreon
Want more Southern Mysteries? You can hear the Southern Mysteries show archive of 60+ episodes along with Patron exclusive podcast, Audacious: Tales of American Crime and more when you become a patron of the show. You can immediately access exclusive content now at patreon.com/southernmysteries
Episode Sources
- William Lewis Moore — Wikipedia
- The Unsolved Civil Rights Murder of William Lewis Moore — Morbidology
- Slaying of Baltimore civil rights protester still unsolved — The Baltimore Sun (2013)
- A Postman’s 1963 Walk for Justice, Cut Short on an Alabama Road — NPR (2013)
- The Murder of William Moore — Equal Justice Initiative
- William L. Moore — Un(re)solved, FRONTLINE / PBS
- Historical Marker Alongside Alabama Highway Will Honor Civil Rights Martyr William Lewis Moore — Southern Poverty Law Center (2019)
- Freedom Walk: Mississippi or Bust — Mary Stanton, University Press of Mississippi (2003)
- The Mind in Chains: The Autobiography of a Schizophrenic — William Lewis Moore
- Civil Rights Memorial — Southern Poverty Law Center, Montgomery, Alabama
- A Stain in Alabama — Los Angeles Times (Oct. 27, 2002)
- The Injustice Files: He Walked Alone — Investigation Discovery (2011)
Episode Music
Out of the Mines, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.