Former CA photo editor recalls the day King was assassinated

Striking sanitation workers temporarily left a stinking garbage situation in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1968. Days of unrest moved civil rights advocate the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. to come to Memphis from Atlanta, Georgia, and use his influence to help the AFSCME union achieve its goals. The scenario that followed shaped up to appear scripted.

James Earl Ray, a sought-after felon, on the run, was drawn to the city from his hiding place in St. Louis, Missouri, bent on keeping King from achieving any measure of success.

Photojournalist Joseph Louw journeyed from Africa to cover the ongoing story.

King drew criticism for selecting the plush Holiday Inn Rivermont for his bedroom while his cohorts patronized the less-desirable Lorraine Motel. He checked out of the Rivermont and returned to Atlanta, apparently to set up a move to the Lorraine with little ado, to please the offended.

Photographer Louw was conveniently placed in an adjoining room to King’s at the Lorraine Motel.

King made his famous “Mountaintop” speech at Mason Temple.

The stage was now set for a shocking incident that would provide ultimate attention to the civil rights movement.

The following day King’s friends were with him on the motel balcony in front of his room. A shot rang out through a bathroom window of a rooming house which overlooked the motel. As King lay mortally wounded, photographer Louw stepped out on the balcony and recorded the scene. The nowfamous picture shows King lying on the balcony while those with him point in the direction the shot had come from.

As picture editor at The Commercial Appeal, I was listening to the police radio on my desk and heard the first police broadcast concerning the assassination. An immediate call to two photographers, who were returning to the newspaper from routine assignments, allowed me to re-route them to the shooting scene. Since I was closer to the motel and time was of essence, I decided to attempt beating them there. I hurried to my car and headed for Main Street where I met the ambulance carrying King to St. Joseph Hospital and made a picture of it through my windshield, then continued to the motel.

The Canipe Amusement Company entrance, next door to the rooming house, was in an alcove where Ray had ditched his murder weapon. It was in the original box wrapped in bed linens. A police officer stood guard over it. I told him it was imperative that I document the fact that the rifle was indeed in the box and asked him to please raise the lid just far enough for me to get a picture of the end of the barrel.

He took a yellow pencil from his shirt pocket and carefully raised the lid with it, being careful not to disturb any fingerprints the shooter might have left and also to prevent leaving his own.

After making a few more pictures, I headed back to the newspaper to process pictures for first edition. While relaxing and thinking about what had happened I recalled having seen an unidentified photographer at the scene. I called Ernest Withers studio on Beale Street to ask if he knew who that might have been. He said, “I know who he was and we are in my darkroom developing his film right now. He is holding my hand for fear I might steal some of the film.”

I asked him to please call me back after he had seen the negatives because I would like to buy one print for The Commercial Appeal. In the meantime, I checked with my Managing Editor and asked how much we could offer for a print. He said $1,500. Both the Associated Press and United Press International had offices in our building. I asked both of them the same question and they offered $2,500 each, so I waited for Withers’ call, prepared to offer $6,500 for the print but a call never came.

For days there were marches, arson and looters causing unrest nationwide but Memphis got the “black eye” in spite of the fact that all of the principals involved were from out-of-town.

Unfortunately, Memphis will always be remembered as the place where King was assassinated.

Bob Williams is a former Commercial Appeal picture editor who was working the night King was killed.