Viewer Information

23 August 99 Will Mathis and Orlando Lester were the last men legally executed in Oxford, Mississippi. Over 7,000 citizens viewed the hanging. The real story of who committed the murders has never been told. Orlando Lester, the Mathis servant, told several versions of the events that night--was he wrongly convicted because of the color of his skin? And, Oxford crime boss Whit Owens was originally convicted of the murders and sentenced to hang, but was later released even though he was implicated by many witnesses. Was Owens the mastermind behind the murders? NOTE: New case starts Monday, August 30, 1999

Interviews

View testimony from rebuttal witnesses during a special December court term in 1901. View rebuttal testimony

Biographies

View Owens family history

Evidence

View Court Dockets from the years preceeding the murders. Many interesting arrests involving Will Mathis and others involved with this case.

Press Items

View New Orleans news items about the Mathis Trial. View Oxford Eagle article about the temporary reprieve of Mathis and Lester. View Oxford Eagle about the Whit Owens trial. View Oxford Eagle news items about the trial of the Jackson's. View Oxford Eagle news briefs mentioning counterfeitting arrests and Mathis' hanging request. View angry letters to the editor of the Oxford Eagle View Oxford Eagle community news items printed before the murders. View Oxford Eagle gossip column. View Oxford Eagle hanging announcement

Viewer Features

Viewer Discussion Area share and view theories