APRIL 5 — 1968 News of MLK’s assassination hits headlines; 1862 McLellan lands siege during Peninsula Campaign; 1951 Rosenbergs are found guilty of espionage; 1774 Ben Franklin publishes letter to Lord North; 1933 Environmental Conservation Work established
APRIL 5
1968 Here are the headlines:
NY Daily News: Martin King Slain by Sniper.
Seattle Times: President Plans Plea to Congress As Violence Follows King Slaying.
Atlanta Constitution: Dr. King Shot Dies in Memphis; Curfew On, 4,000 Guards Called.
Yesterday I discussed how James Earl Ray was caught in London and would face 99 years in an American prison for the assassination. But let’s face it, many Americans, especially the King family, believes Ray was innocent and did not fire the rifle fatal shot from a Remington 760 that had Ray’s fingerprints all over it, into MLK’s chest.
FBI director J. Edgar Hoover and his bureau had a list of scandals that even freaked out President Richard Nixon, but its unknown exactly who was the one who fired the bullet. Coretta King herself said after Ray’s guilty verdict, “There is abundant evidence of a major, high-level conspiracy in the assassination of my husband.” Actually, a witness and New York Times reporter named Earl Caldwell mentioned that he saw a man shuffling around in thick bushes right outside Jim’s Grill’s bathroom.
Curiously, first thing, on this day in 1968 first thing in the morning, Memphis public work employees took out those thick bushes that may involve a possible crime scene.
And that Remington Game master with Ray’s prints probably didn’t kill King. A day after the verdict, Ray was already requesting to take back his guilty plea as he was setup by the FBI. As Tim went on in prison, Ray befriended pastor and one of King’s mentors James Lawson , Ray told him a guy named Raul was behind it, but when investigators caught up to Raul, who was a car mechanic in Yonkers NY, he denied any involvement. And let’s not forget the owner of Jim’s Grill, a fella named Lloyd Jokers, who kept quiet for about 25 years, and then came out saying he saw a police officer in the bushes next just outside the bathroom of his restaurant.
While none of King’s family members believe Ray was the killer, they disagree on whether Hoover was behind it or not and how directly. The debate rages on.
1984-Laker fans
…know where I’m going with this one. For those of you old enough to even remember that night, the LA Lakers were playing the Utah Jazz at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas. Nine minutes left in the game. Magic Johnson passes the ball to 7’2” Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Kareem sinks it in for 31,420th point of his career, beating Wilt Chamberlain’s old record. Like a Boss!
1862-In March began Major General George B McLellan’s Peninsula Campaign,
with the goal of capturing Richmond from the Confederates. Things were looking good for the Union army against General Joseph E. Johnston, but Robert E. Lee’s forces demolished MclLellans later in the Seven Days Battle. On April 5, McLellan landed in Yorktown VA and established siege lines instead of going for the direct attack.
1951- Julias and Ethel Rosenberg are found guilty
of espionage in a high profile case for delivering top secret U.S. documents to the Soviet Union regarding the atomic bomb. The Rosenberg couple wasd sentenced to death, but Ethyl’s brother, David Greenglass, was off a lot easier. Greenglass was the one who supplied the documents to Julius from Los Alamos and served 10 years. Harry Gold, who identified Greenglass, got 15 in the federal prison, and German scientist Klaus Fuchs served 9 years.
Later on in 1995, the US government released a decoded set of cables, codenamed VENONA, from the Soviets, and it was discovered that there was no concrete link involving Ethyl’s participation. David Greenglass simply pointed the finger at his sister, but later admitted that he blamed Ehtyl to protect his own wife Ruth, who was the realy typist of the classified documents he stole. Morton Sobell, who was also involved got 17 years, and admitted he was a spy for the Soviet Union, and that Ethyl was not. Regardless, in 1953, Ehtyl and Julius fried in the electric chair.
1774-Ben Franklin publishes a letter
…to British Prime Minister Lord North from Smyma Coffee House in London. In the letter he mocks the English crown by saying that Lord North should impose martial law on the North American colonists and sell the whole thing to Spain. Colonists and all. He signed it “A Friend of the Military Government,” essentially making fun of the king. That’s real funny. So North did impose martial law a month later in Massachusetts. Franklin thought it was funny, Lord North thought tit was a great idea. Except for the selling it to Spain part. Guess where that led? The British lost 13 colonies.
1994-Kurt Cobain commits suicide
…at his home in Seattle. There are books written about the lead singer of Nirvana and his wife Courtney Love that suggest she was behind the murder and hired someone to do it. But police investigators ruled it a suicide, and I’m not sure why Courtney would be motivated to kill him anyway. His life was already spinning out of control, he had just checked himself into rehab and walked out a few days later without telling his friends or family and Courtney couldn’t even find him. Instead Kurt’s electricican found him three days after his suicide.