By Bill White



Just as in the third act of those Meridian Little Theater productions of which Gloria Tiffee was so fond, Hewitt Clarke's latest and arguably best non-fiction story, Mississippi Blood, finds resolution in the closing act. In this final section, the stories behind and following the event of the March 1983 murder of Meridian businessman Larry Tiffee, and the ensuing trials and public displays, evolve through Mr. Clarke’s decades of historical research in the southeast and his inimitable writing style.

This last section of Mr. Clarke's well-crafted and genuinely gripping book is aptly entitled "Retribution" for retribution is a close cousin of vengeance and often falls under the purview of Divine Provenance. The final settling of accounts in this sordid Meridian mystery comes from many different directions in unique and completely unexpected ways. It is in Mr. Clarke's third act that the shady and unseemly characters in this true Meridian melodrama "here find fit retribution, empty as their deeds," as John Milton writes in Paradise Lost.

After the trials of Gloria Tiffee and her release from jail, she found herself setting up housekeeping with a man that could have been among her antagonists but with whom she had an ongoing and secret affair. Tiffee was far from in the clear at this point and still faced a civil action for the wrongful death of her husband, Larry. There was various litigation yet to come, all centered on the disposition of the Tiffee estate and the proceeds of the various insurance policies held by Larry Tiffee.

Gloria, as many who have spent time in the criminal justice system, found Jesus, and subsequently began writing and performing religious songs. She, for a while, was seeking out new venues from which to "extol [her] Christian values." She has said that the incident in Meridian has made her a celebrity, and one wonders if she realizes the difference between fame and infamy.

In August of 1986, the enigmatic and mysterious "Al" so often mentioned in the interviews and proceedings of the case was located and arrested. His first comment to officials was, "Why did it take you so long?" The case having lain fallow for nearly two years was once again swept by enthusiasm with the discovery of the so-called missing link, Bernard Lester. The authorities began to run down the leads provided by Lester who offered a somewhat different version of the story and pointed the finger directly at Richard Lutes. District Attorney Charles Wright would again bring the guns of justice to bear on Gloria Tiffee.

Robert "Peanut" Griffin, that irascible and sometimes borderline lunatic who held the citizens of Meridian mesmerized for hours while he danced atop the roof of the Lauderdale County Courthouse in his skivvies, shouting obscenities to the local radio stations and on statewide television, was released from Parchman Prison in June of 1988. However, rather than the ending the story, his release turned out to be the beginning of an entirely new chapter in the life of Peanut Griffin.

After Peanut had served another brief stint in the county jail, Lady Luck would smile on him again. An old acquaintance, Laura Cagle, who knew him from his boyhood days, was about to do a good deed and, as we all know, no good deed goes unpunished. Mrs. Cagle's husband, Don, was transferred to Meridian to manage the ill-fated Lockheed Plant where, in 2003, disgruntled employee Doug Williams killed 5 people before taking his own life.

Peanut found Mrs. Cagle at her Lauderdale County home and convinced her to buy a semi-trailer truck. He would continue in his new career as a truck-driver, hauling freight for Mrs. Cagle. Since some long trips require two drivers, Mrs. Cagle traveled with him on several occasions. It was during one of these trips that Peanut disclosed his version of the events surrounding the murder of Larry Tiffee. This fascinating narrative that Peanut wanted her to believe is recounted by Mrs. Cagle in one of Mr. Clarke's trademark personal interviews.

There is no indication that Mrs. Cagle has had any formal training in psychology, but one might say that in her inherent ability to understand the way of people, she certainly had Peanut's number. Her account of the time spent with Peanut is riveting. Even if you only remember Peanut from his semi-naked dance on the roof, you must read Mrs. Cagle's story.

It was while working for Mrs. Cagle that Peanut would meet his nemesis in the form of one Eddie Mullinax, a fellow driver for Mrs. Cagle, and in a flash of violence befitting a modern action movie, their fates would be sealed.

The final accounting of events in this sad tale was compiled by Mr. Clarke over a number of years. Initially, he reached Richard Lutes at his current residence in Parchman Prison.

Shortly after the "Great Cyclone" of 1906 leveled Meridian's downtown business district, Governor James Vardaman rolled, uninvited, into Meridian Station with a train load of black convicts recruited from the state’s newest prison facility to help repair the destruction. Parchman Prison was only a few years old but had already developed a reputation as a brutal institution. The reputation would survive the first six decades of the twentieth century. Mr. Clarke shares some of the history of the prison and its infamous residents as the story moves toward its conclusion. The "Long Line" of prisoners no longer snake their ways slowly over the cotton fields of the Mississippi Delta, but even with the reforms of the 1970's in place, The Farm, as it was once called, is not an inviting destination.

Mr. Clarke communicated with Lutes by mail and later by telephone. Finally, Clarke traveled to Parchman Prison to ferret out the final details. He found Lutes to be an imposing figure, apparently respected by other prisoners. Lutes moved with an easy poise and the erect posture of authority, conveying a certain dark dignity. Never losing sight of the fact that he was sitting across the table from a man the district attorney had marked as a psychopathic killer, Mr. Clarke heard Lutes' story.

Lutes shared a spellbinding and fascinating tale. Plausible on the surface, his story weaves a unique web of intrigue around the events of that Friday night in March 1983 and offers the first real insight into the machinations of the Dixie Mafia and a Mafia king-pin named Bill Clubb. Lutes also explains how he fell victim to the over-zealous attentions of a Lauderdale County District Attorney.

Some will say that Richard Lutes is exactly where he belongs 25 years after the Tiffee tragedy. Still others will find truth in the tale he has spun. Ultimately, the reader must weigh the stories of the principal players and form their conclusions. Lutes, however, in a final reconciliation, may have come to task with his inevitable fate, despite appearances. He has recently been turned down, yet again, for parole. He feels that there may be nothing he can do to demonstrate that he is no longer a threat to society and, perhaps with a sense of relief, resigns himself to finish out his days behind the great grey walls of Parchman Prison. These are his final words to Mr. Clarke:

"If I don't make it my next try, I might just tell them I've gotten too old to get out and that no one will hire me and just settle in and wait for death."





BOOK SIGNINGS SET



The following book signings have been scheduled with Hewitt Clarke.



Saturday, Dec. 6

• Meridian Lauderdale County Library, 10 a.m.

• Books-A-Million, noon-2 p.m.



Tuesday, Dec. 9

• Book Exchange, noon-1:30 p.m.



Thursday, Dec. 11

• Discount Drugs on Poplar Springs Drive, noon-1:30 p.m.