By Joseph J. Bell, Esq.
Anthony S. Pitch, author and my dear friend and client on the 1946 Moore’s Ford Lynching case, died Saturday, June 29, 2019, in a Maryland hospital. He was 80 years old.
Anthony spent the last six years of his life attempting to expose the truth about the brutal murders of four African-Americans on July 25, 1946, in Walton County, Ga. He was determined to seek justice for the victims and their families.
Sadly, Anthony did not live to see the outcome of the litigation he filed in the courts, seeking transparency from the government entities he believes held documents that could reveal what really occurred on that fateful day.
For those who knew Anthony, it was never about how many books he could sell or how much fame he could achieve.
Anthony’s satisfaction came from digging out and documenting details factually related to the crime that had been long since buried over 73 years of stop-and-start investigations by state and federal agencies.
Perhaps the best example of this occurred when authorities in Georgia and the FBI informed him that the 1946 Moore’s Ford Grand Jury transcripts had been lost, stolen, or perhaps destroyed in a flood. Anthony simply was not buying it.
A tireless pit-bull of literary research with the tenacity of Sherlock Holmes, he filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the FBI and the National Archives. Suddenly, 10,000 documents that had never been seen before were at his doorstep – and as you might expect, he devoured every last one.
Although you’d have had to know Anthony to understand this, I believe the real prize he sought in navigating the legal minefield of grand jury secrecy was an unshakable belief that every success in court was a way for him to engage in a personal, private, and near-spiritual dialog with the victims and assure them: “See…I told you we’d get to the bottom of this!”
Anthony S. Pitch was a champion of the persecuted, the downtrodden and the marginalized. While I am quite sure his literary successes meant a great deal to him, it was achieving something important for the little guy who could not do it for himself that exhilarated him and gave purpose to his life.
Anthony’s family has asked me to continue the battle to secure the 1946 Moore’s Ford Grand Jury transcripts. At the present time, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals has decided it will re-hear the case of Pitch v. USA en banc (with all 12 judges) later this year.
Anthony, the fight will continue…and I will miss you dearly, my friend.
Joseph J. Bell is a partner in the Rockaway firm of Bell & Shivas and is the former Morris County Clerk.
Michael
I was so sad to hear about Anthoiny’s passing. I met him in 2012 when he accompanied me around the White House as part of my visit to remember my ancestor’s part in the 1812-14 war. We became friends and I visited him in hospital in London after his heart attack. I have very fond memories of him and he was always courteous, generous and charming. My deepest condolences.
Just discovered this man today via his C-Span interviews. I just bought his Lincoln book on Amazon. I’m genuinely sorry to read of his recent passing. God bless him.
Anthony died on June 29, not the 19th