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The Death of Porter Moss

Porter Moss was a right handed submarine pitcher who played for Memphis for six years and in the Negro Leagues for eight years. A college educated man, Porter played the first year in the Negro Leagues as a part of the Cincinnati Tigers. In 1938 he was traded from the Tigers to the Kansas City Monarchs and later that year he was traded again to the Chicago American Giants. 1938 was also his first election to the West All-Star Team. As a member of the Memphis Red Sox he would go back to the East West All-Star Game two more times. In 1944 Porter was having one of his best years. He started seven games and his ERA was only 2.63.

On the night of July 15^th fifty-five miles from Nashville in northern Tennessee, the Memphis Red Sox’s team bus broke down. The bus had broken down before, but this night the driver and mechanic, Sam Thomas, couldn’t fix the aging vehicle. With a double header scheduled the next day the team booked passage on a train at McEwen Tennessee to complete their trip to Memphis. The team was forced to sit in the over crowded “Jim Crow” car where passengers were standing do to a lack of seats. Johnny Easley, who was drunk, was arguing with passengers and especially pestering the females in the train car. Porter approached Easley and said, “Why don’t you sit down and leave the woman alone?” Easley, upset, walked to the back of the train car. Verdell Mathis, one of Porters teammates was glad to see Easley go. Verdell had notice that Easley was carrying a gun.

As the train approached Camden, Easley began to argue with several ballplayers standing on the vestibule between the train cars. The conductor and the pullman porter confronted Easley and were also threatened. As the train was stopping at Camden, Easley jumped on to the depot platform and fire his gun into the crowd watching him from the train. The bullet just missed the conductor and struck Porter Moss in the stomach. Porter’s teammates carried him to the baggage car and laid him on some old clothes. At the trains next stop, Waverly, no doctor could be found to treat Porter. A doctor did board the train at Bruceton to treat a white passenger, but when the doctor was asked to help Porter he refused because Porter was black. An hour later the train pulled into Jackson. Railroad officials had called ahead and had an ambulance waiting to take Porter to the hospital.

By the time Porter made it to the hospital he had lost too much blood and doctors could not save him. Porter Moss died on the 16^thof July in Jackson Tennessee more than twelve hours after he was shot. His death was announced after the first game of a Sunday double header between the Red Sox and the Cleveland Buckeyes at Russwood Field. Fans at the game stood at attention for one minute in his memory. The second game of the double header was canceled after the announcement was made.

On October 10^th1944 Johnny Easley plead guilty to 2^nd Degree Murder in Benton County Tennessee Criminal Court. He was sentenced to ten years in prison for the killing of Moss. Five Memphis Red Sox players were present at the court to testify, but none were called to the stand. The players present were Bubber Hyde, Jimmy Ford, Red Longley, Fred Bankhead and Willie Hutchinson.

Moss left behind a wife, Artie Moss. He was buried in Cincinnati, Ohio where he was born and his mother resided.