Hanging death may be linked to tragic legacy

By Gary Reaves
WFAA-TV
Dallas/Fort Worth | Channel 8

A Dallas man's painful journey home to Mississippi leaves him facing personal loss and a possible hate crime.

Neighbors found Alvin Blakes' cousin hanging from a tree in Woodville, the hometown of Confederate President Jefferson Davis. Now, Blakes fears the mysterious death is a flashback to one of the South's most haunting and horrific legacies.

The state flag flying over Woodville reminds visitors of Mississippi's history, but it's a mysterious hanging death of family last week that has Dallas engineer Blakes wondering how distant that past really is.

"Everybody is in disbelief, and they are not satisfied with what they are hearing," Blakes said. "It just doesn't add up."

It was at the end of a long, muddy road that turkey farmers found Roy Veal, hanging from a tree near his mother's house, his head covered with a pillow case.

While Veal was born in Mississippi, he actually lived in Washington state. He had only returned to his birthplace to resolve a dispute involving land that had been in the family for more than a century. The man suing was white, and that fueled speculation Veal may have been lynched.

"I just can't imagine anybody wanting to out and out murder somebody like that," said Charles Whetstone, owner of local hangout the Back Porch Cafe.

At the cafe, locals are comforted that authorities believe Veal committed suicide. The sheriff, who is getting help from the FBI, said all the evidence - including the autopsy - indicates Veal hanged himself.

"I feel confident it is not a hate crime, and we have not seen any indication to lead us to that suspicion," said Wilkinson County Sheriff Reginald Jackson.

At the hanging scene, Jackson found journal writings indicating Veal was depressed. The cousin who often saw him researching old deeds at the courthouse, however, doesn't buy it. The sheriff said he found no connection between the land lawsuit and the hanging.

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