Standing, 5-foot-1 and weighing less than 100 pounds, George Stinney Jr. tragically met his fate.

The executioner, having a hard time restraining the young boy because he was so small, could hear only sobs as Stinney was led to the chair. 

As the executioner pulled the switch, sending shock waves through Stinney’s tiny body, the mask covering his face came off, with his heart still beating as he cried. 

Wrongly accused because of his race and denied a fair trial, it took 10 days to prosecute Stinney, but four minutes to kill him.

The year was 1944.

Stinney was only 14.

“Crime and Punishment: The Execution of George Stinney Jr.” is a play that will be performed by the Meridian High School Department of Theater and Performing Arts at 7 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday, Dec. 5-6, in the MHS auditorium. Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for students with an ID. 

Written and directed by Randy Wayne Jr., the play is similar to the Emmett Till story the school produced last year. “Tell My Story: The Death of Emmett Till” portrayed the life, death and trial of Till, a 14-year old boy who was brutally murdered in Money, Mississippi in 1955.

Coming off the success of the Emmett Till play, Wayne wanted to create another production that would resonate with his students. While browsing the internet, he came across an article about Stinney, and decided to make his story the focus of a new production.

“I like to write to write plays on those that are underdogs, that people do not know about,” Wayne said.

Two boys with similar stories

In August 1955, while visiting his family in Money, Mississippi, Chicago teen Emmett Till, 14, was accused of flirting with a white women at Bryant’s Store. Till was taken from his uncle’s house and beaten beyond recognition, with his eyes gorged out.

The teenager was then taken to the Tallahatchie River and was shot in the head. His corpse was tied to a large metal fan and thrown into the river.

It was three days until Till’s body was found.

During Till’s funeral, his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, insisted on an open casket, so the world could see what was done to her son.

After Till’s death, a trial was held and an all white jury acquitted Roy Bryant and J.W Mirman of all murder charges.

The brutal murder helped spark the Civil Rights Movement.

The Department of Justice recently reopened the case.

Stinney lived with his family in Alculo, South Carolina, where there were train tracks dividing the black and white sides of town. 

Stinney knew he was not supposed to cross the tracks.

One day, two white girls from the other side crossed the tracks.

On March 23, 1944, the bodies of Betty June Binnicker, 11, and Mary Emma Thomas, 8, were found not far from Stinney’s house. An eyewitness told police that Stinney Jr. was the last person to see the two girls alive.

The teenager was arrested, taken to the police station and coerced into a confession, thinking that if he confessed to the crime, he would see his family again.

But Stinney was wrong – he was put in jail until his trial.

While at trial, there was no cross-examination and an all-white jury took 10 minutes to sentence Stinney Jr. to death by electrocution. The young boy still maintained his innocence, and the governor denied his appeal for clemency.

Stinney became the youngest person to be sentenced to death and executed in the United States. In 2014, Stinney was declared innocent after a judge said he was denied a fair trial.

Bringing the story back to life

After researching Stinney’s story, including information from people who were in jail with the teen, Wayne pieced together a narrative. 

Students Tylaia Keeton and Triykus Walker play Stinney’s mother and father in the play. Acting out the play’s death scene was emotional and painful for them.  

“I can only imagine what they went through, ” Walker said.

Before taking on the role of the father, Walker did his own research, even watching a video of the execution. Walker said he couldn’t believe that someone could do that to a child.

“I was like, why? – he’s only 14,” Walker said. 

Keeton, a senior, was part of the Emmett Till play last year, and like Walker, she found it painful to see how someone could hurt a child. 

“It shows how much of a heart they don’t have,” Keaton said.

Sophomore Kwane Bell was shocked when he found out that Stinney Jr. was so young. Being 14, he had missed the freshman experience, Bell said.

“He never got a chance to grow up and was still a kid,” said Bell.

Having an impact

Keeton said racial issues still exist, but the country is not as divided as it was during Stinney’s time.

She hopes the play will give insight to how others are affected by tragedy. 

“It just opens your eyes to the kind of people in the world,” she said. “You never know how someone views you until something like this happens.”