The 1940 Events in Brownsville

The events that led to the death of Elbert Williams unfolded in the spring and early summer of 1940 in Brownsville, Tennessee. At the center of these events was an effort by African American residents to exercise their constitutional right to vote—an effort that challenged long-standing practices that had effectively excluded Black citizens from political participation in Haywood County.

The Attempt to Register to Vote

In 1939 local residents organized a branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in Brownsville. The organization sought to address racial discrimination and to encourage African Americans to assert their rights as citizens.

At the time, no African American had been permitted to register to vote in Haywood County during the twentieth century. Although the Fifteenth Amendment guaranteed the right to vote regardless of race, local officials and social customs maintained a system that effectively prevented Black citizens from registering.

On May 6, 1940, five members of the Brownsville NAACP went to the Haywood County courthouse to attempt to register to vote. Their effort was unsuccessful, but the attempt itself provoked a strong reaction from local white authorities and citizens. Within days, threats and acts of intimidation began to target members of the organization.

Escalating Intimidation

Tensions escalated dramatically in mid-June. Early in the morning on June 16, 1940, Elisha Davis, one of the men who had attempted to register to vote, was abducted from his home by a white mob led by Brownsville policemen Tip Hunter and Charles Read.

Davis was taken to a swamp outside of town, surrounded by armed men, and threatened with death unless he revealed the names of other members of the local NAACP. After naming several individuals, Davis was ordered to leave Haywood County immediately and warned that he would be killed if he ever returned.

News of the abduction spread quickly through the African American community. Fearing further violence, many Black families fled Brownsville and the surrounding countryside. Some left their homes in the middle of the night, seeking safety in nearby communities or with relatives in other counties.

The Arrest of Elbert Williams

Despite the growing danger, some members of the NAACP remained in Brownsville. Among them was Elbert Williams.

Late on the night of June 20, 1940, Brownsville policemen Tip Hunter and Charles Read, accompanied by Ed Lee, manager of the local Coca-Cola bottling company, went to the Williams home and took him into custody. Williams was transported to the local jail and questioned about an NAACP meeting that authorities believed he was organizing.

Hunter later claimed that Williams was released from jail later that night. According to his account, Williams left the jail and walked away on his own. However, Williams never returned home, and no one in the community reported seeing him alive again.

Discovery of His Body

Three days later, on June 23, 1940, the body of Elbert Williams was discovered floating in the nearby Hatchie River.

Annie Williams was called to identify her husband’s body. According to her account, she observed what appeared to be two bullet-like holes in his chest. Despite the suspicious circumstances surrounding his death, the county coroner ordered no medical examination.

An inquest was conducted on the riverbank the same morning the body was recovered. The coroner’s jury returned a verdict of “Cause of death: unknown.” Williams was buried later that same day in an unmarked grave.

Community Impact

The events of June 1940 left a lasting impact on the African American community in Brownsville and Haywood County. The threats, forced exile of residents, and the death of Elbert Williams reinforced the dangers faced by those who sought to challenge the racial and political order of the Jim Crow South.

Although investigations would later be conducted at both the local and federal levels, no one was ever prosecuted for Williams’ death. The events in Brownsville in 1940 remain a powerful reminder of the risks that early civil rights activists faced when attempting to exercise their most fundamental rights as citizens.