Invitation to a Lynching

by Gene Miller

In 1963 two black men, Freddie Lee Pitts and Wilbert Lee, were convicted and sentenced to death in Florida for two murders the author contends they did not commit. This is a dramatic and controversial book in which the pursuit of justice and the workings of the American judicial system are shown as leading not necessarily to the same end. Mr. Miller chronicles the desperate plight of two black men held in a white sheriff's jail, the "confession," the "trial", and the bizarre legal tactics taken to keep them in prison.

Genres: Nonfiction

324 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1975

Reviews

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't say I "really liked" this book--it was deeply disturbing. It tells of the trumped-up conviction of two innocent African-Americans (Freddie Pitts and Wilber Lee) in the Florida panhandle (Port St. Joe) for murder in 1963. They were sentenced to death on the same day as the March on Washington. The book ends with their second conviction 12 years later.

This book, by a reporter (later editor) of the Miami Herald, was provided to Governor Ruben Askew in galley. He pardoned them based upon the book and the record. Miller also received a Pulitzer prize (his second) for his reporting on this. Pitts and Lee had to wait another 19 years to receive compensation from the State ($500,000 each).

The writing style is subtle; you think it is a "just the facts" style, but Miller provides memorable descriptions of the heroes and the villains. The bad news is that this book is out of print. In this age of ebooks, this book needs to be in print and updated.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

This documentary treats the story of two people framed for a murder, and kept on death row for a number of years. These prisoners were finally pardoned only after the State Governor was given a copy of this book to read.

This book tells the story of the hopelessly corrupt criminal system in the Florida Panhandle during the sixties. Commentary on the horrors of American racism.