The Long Lost Tapes of James Earl Ray

Memphis, Tn - Shelby County Register Tom Leatherwood gingerly handles what could be described as potential "history in the waiting."

"There was a box of material in the credenza of the Chief Deputies Office," he says. "It is like an archeological find that you have to dig through the layers to uncover the mystery."

A simple box found in the Shelby County Sheriff's Office last spring figures to yield a wealth of previously unreleased material, including video tapes, on the Shelby County incarceration of James Earl Ray, the convicted assassin of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968.

While the discovered jail logs and photographs were easily digitized and placed on the county's archives website, the prized possessions found would appear to be 8 five inch reels and one seven inch tape shot on an obsolete Sony VideoCorder purchased by the Sheriff's Office to specifically document Ray's time in Memphis after his capture.

"On one there's labeled "Ray on Plane" and "Arrival at Jail" Another one "Ray Guilty Plea." "James Earl Ray Arraignment 7-22-68." And regular television cameras were not allowed in the courtroom at that time. So, if this is actual footage in the courtroom that would be pretty historic," says Leatherwood.

In a telephone conversation with Fox 13 News, former Shelby County Sheriff Bill Morris, confirms, for security reasons, the extensive taping of Ray began when he boarded the plane which had brought Ray back from London and took charge of his prisoner.

"When I went on the plane, I read him his rights. I read the document to him to let him know he was in Shelby County Tennessee, and we used all his aliases...Eric Starvo Galt, James Earl Ray, etc.," says Morris. "Dr. Arthur Demear examined him and all of this was done on camera."

Morris also told us, after clearing any invasion of privacy issues with the ACLU, the late A.C. Gillis, who served as the head of the Bureau of Identification at the time, was put in charge of photographing and taping Ray including the heavily guarded first arraignment on July 22nd 1968.

Morris says, "Everyone who went into the courtroom had to stand before a camera. Give their name. Identified and sign in. It's probably one of the most documented events in Shelby County history."

All of which these tapes could contain. But, with the original camera system long gone, Leatherwood is hoping to find video professionals who can restore the 44-year-old videos to viewable condition.

"The emulsion of the back of the film can stick to the front of the film it's wrapped around. So, we've opened the boxes. We've looked at them. We have not strung them out. So, there are different processes that can restore the film. But, that takes some expertise," he says.