James Earl Ray Collection
James Earl Ray continues to be a controversial figure. Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated on April 4, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee. Two months later James Earl Ray, an American with a record as a petty criminal, was apprehended in England and charged with killing Dr. King. Ray pled guilty to the charge in 1969 and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. However, Ray soon recanted his guilty plea, claiming he was innocent. By the 1990’s, his continued requests for a new trial gained fresh life; a Memphis bar owner named Lloyd Jowers claimed that he participated in a plot to kill Dr. King. Dr. King's son, Dexter met with Ray in 1997 and publicly supported him, and the next year Attorney General Janet Reno ordered a full review of the case. That review ended in 2000 with a finding that "no credible evidence" existed to support the claims of Jowers or the various other conspiracy theories. Ray died in prison in 1998.
During his time in prison, Ray wrote 3 books proclaiming his innocence. The second book, Who Killed Martin Luther King, has a foreword written by Jesse Jackson who also believed that Ray was either innocent or was “used” by others as part of a larger conspiracy. There have been approximately 15 books authored both for and against Ray’s claim that he was not the assassin. The next book is scheduled to be released in March, 2008 and is authored by his brother, John Larry Ray. The title is “Truth at Last, Truth at Last: The Real Story of James Earl Ray, assassin of Martin Luther King”. The controversy continues.
The following items are part of this collection:
Tennessee Waltz by James Earl Ray, First Edition, 1987, Saint Andrews Press. There were 1000 books printed in the first edition. The foreword is written by Tupper Saussy whom many believe ghost wrote the book for Ray. The book is protected by a mylar cover and is in Very Good+ Condition.
Who Killed Martin Luther King, The True Story by the Alleged Assassin, Second Edition, 1993, National Press Books. Signed and dated by James Earl Ray in June, 1995, this soft cover book is in Near Fine condition. As mentioned above, the foreword was written by Jesse Jackson.
The Original FBI Wanted Poster for James Earl Ray for the Assassination of Dr. King
An Original UPI photo (with caption) of James Earl Ray leaving court in Nashville after attending a hearing to be released from prison.
An Original Lithograph painted by Ray while in prison. The lithograph is hand signed by James Earl Ray and is entitled, The Legion in the battle for Dien Bienphu, Vietnam – 1954.
At the bottom of this listing are several photographs of the items contained in the collection including the autographed items.
