Witness Interview: Elroy Murphy

Elroy Murphy drove County Bus No. 48 on Friday, April 11, 1958 and was the last known person to see Ricky Izard. The following interview was conducted with Murphy at the Sheriff's Department on the evening of the murder.

M = Detective Jack McPhail
EM = Elroy Murphy

M: Evening, Elroy. I need to ask you a few questions about your route today. I gather you've heard what's happened over at the Izard place?
EM: Yessir, I sure have. Have you found them kids yet?

M: Not yet. I'm hoping you might be able to shed some light on that for us.
EM: I'm not sure what I can tell you Jack, but I'll try.

M: Elroy, I'm gonna tape this whole conversation if you don't mind. I'd like to get the formalities out of the way, would you state your name, age, address and occupation for the record please.
EM: Sure thing. That's Elroy Murphy, I'm 27 years, I live over on Glewculley Road a short mile west of the Lee Creek fork, I work for the Yoknapatawpha County School District, been driving County bus No. 48 since the beginning of this school term.

M: Elroy could you run through what your route is for me, that's the west side of the county is that right?
EM: That's right, I have the west side elementary school route, the little kids. I start out there closer to Abbeville at the North County Elementary, I got eleven kids that ride 48 from there, then I head on down the pike a bit and pick up at Hamblett Elementary, that's another 10 kids. I got 21 in all I carry every day.

M: Where do you pick up Ricky Izard?
EM: That'd be at Hamblett.

M: Now what time do you pick up the kids at Hamblett?
EM: I get there purty near on the dot at 2:10 p.m. every day.

M: Is that when you got there today?
EM: Yessir, sure is.

M: Do you recall Ricky on the bus today?
EM: Yessir, he was on the bus.

M: Did you note anything unusual about his manner today?
EM: No, not that I can say.

M: Did you note what he was carrying with him on the bus?
EM: Let me think, now. He's got this book bag, blue or red I think, he usually has that with him. I can't recall him carrying anything else than that with him today.

M: No lunch box or jacket?
EM: No. I'd guess he took a paper sack in the morning for his lunch. But I wouldn't rightly know about that.

M: Why's that Elroy?
EM: I don't drive him in the morning. His Daddy takes him in to the school. I usually see his Daddy leaving when I get to Hamblett most mornings.

M: You see him this morning?
EM: Lemme think a minute, be sure. Yes, I saw him today same as usual.

M: All right then, Elroy. Now your route down county road 106 is the last, is that right?
EM: 106, yessir, the old Sadler's Hill Road.

M: How many kids you have on that road, Elroy?
EM: That'd be seven kids. There's three of the Detter kids, then there's Huggins', one at Parker's then there's the Izard's.

M: Ricky Izard was your last stop on 106?
EM: Yessir, he was the last off the bus.

M: What time did you drop him off today, Elroy?
EM: It'd be about the same as always, around 2:35 p.m. Only varies by a minute or two generally speaking.

M: You drop him off there at the road?
EM: Yessir, at the end of their driveway.

M: Miz Izard normally meet you there at the end of the drive?
EM: Not always. Probably more often than not she's walkin' down the drive when we pull up, but there's plenty of days I don't see her there.

M: She wasn't there today, was she?
EM: No, didn't see her today.

M: Where do you go after you drop off Ricky Izard?
EM: Well, now, that's a bit touchy there. I used to turn around in their driveway and go on back up 106 from there. Only sensible thing to do seeing as how I got to go back that way. But I made a miscalculation back a week or so and run over their mailbox. They didn't take too kindly to that so I've been going on down to the pasture gate and turning around down there ever since.

M: That's about a quarter mile down the road isn't it?
EM: Maybe, not any further. Takes me only another minute or two that way.

M: You turn around there today, Elroy?
EM: Yessir.

M: You'd be driving back toward the Izard house then, less trees in the way of the yard, did you happen to look over to the Izard place on your way back up the road, see anything unusual?
EM: Can't say that I recall looking at anything in particular there, I did check up the drive on my way back past and saw the kid walking up the drive. 'Bout all. Nothing else around.

M: You didn't see anyone else, any cars in the drive, anyone around?
EM: No, sir. Not a thing. Can't see as far as the house from the road the way that drive curves around. I saw Tommy Joe's truck coming on down the road on my way back. Didn't notice anything else.

M: Where about did you see Tommy Joe's truck?
EM: Lemme think. It was out to the Blakeney place I do believe.

M: Did Tommy Joe see you?
EM: Surely did, waved at him like I always do. Bit hard to miss a school bus.

M: Have you noticed anyone hanging around that area lately, anything out of place?
EM: Can't say as I have. Pretty quiet out that way I'd say.

M: Tell me a bit more about that mailbox incident, I understand Mr. Izard was a bit put out over that?
EM: Hot as hell, more like. You'd think the mailbox was made of gold or something. It wasn't anything special if you ask me. Miz Izard had a nice little flower bed there around the box and that got ruined too, I think maybe that had something to do with it. I felt bad about that part.

M: But not bad about the mailbox?
EM: Well, sir, I might've but Mr. Izard there went and called the supervisor at the district and got me in a heap of trouble. I got a few knocks against me on the record and this here incident made my last warning. I got the royal shout down over there I can tell you. I thought sure I was going to lose the job. After that I wasn't too sorry about the mailbox.

M: What kind of knocks on your record?
EM: Well, same sort of thing. They call them all reckless driving, but I'm not so sure that's a good description. I backed over a fence at a house, slip slided on some ice and bashed a stop sign, like that. I can understand a school bus driver got to have a good driving record, but I can't see these things being such an all fired important big deal to tell you truth.

M: I guess you must have been pretty put off with Mr. Izard after that, have a few words with him?
EM: You might say that. I was steamed at first. Like I said, I was afraid I was going to lose my job over it. Imagine, over a dumb ole mailbox, but I didn't mouth off at Izard. I figured that would be the thing to cinch getting fired so I kept my mouth shut.

M: I understand you talked about it a bit over at the coffee shop.
EM: I guess I did at that now you mention it.

M: Seems you made a few threatening remarks about the Izard's, I think it was something like, "I could wring those Izards' necks", that ringing any bells?
EM: Oh now, you know I didn't mean anything by that. I might've said something along those lines, but I was just blowing off about maybe losing my job.

M: Well, now, Elroy, maybe you did and maybe you didn't mean anything by it. I checked the reports and find that you got yourself into a fight down at Sid's the day after that conversation. Seems you managed to give Jimmy Warren a bloody nose.
EM: That happened.

M: Seems you've had yourself a bit of a temper lately. Easy to let a punch get out of hand wouldn't you say?
EM: That's true, sure. But I didn't do anything to the Izard's if that's what you're getting at here.

M: Let's go back to when you left off Ricky Izard today. You pulled up to the end of their driveway, that right?
EM: Yessir, the end of the drive there. Let him off right there.

M: And Miz Izard wasn't there to meet him?
EM: No, not today.

M: And that's rather unusual isn't it, Elroy?
EM: I guess you could say that, but she didn't always come down.

M: Now maybe she did come down and had a few more words with you Elroy?
EM: No sir, didn't see her today at all.

M: You say you saw little Ricky walking up the drive after you turned around down at the pasture gate and came on back?
EM: That's right.

M: About how far up the drive would you say he was when you saw him then?
EM: I can't rightly say for sure, about to the end of the tree line maybe.

M: That doesn't seem too far up the drive now, does it, wouldn't you think he'd be further along by then?
EM: Now that you mention it, maybe so. But that's where he was. Maybe he stopped to look at something on the drive, you know how kids are, some bug or something probably caught his eye.

M: But you're sure that's where you saw him?
EM: Yessir, I'm sure.

M: What was it you said he was wearing today?
EM: Don't think I did say. Let's see if I can recall that. He had on a striped shirt with long sleeves, button down, and some dark pants on. Don't know if they were black or blue, but dark colored. That's all I remember.

M: Where did you go after you left your route today, Elroy?
EM: I took the bus back to the County bus yard and cleaned it out some. Clocked out of there around 3:30 or so. You can check with them to get the exact time.

M: Then what did you do, Elroy?
EM: Let's see, I went on over to Abbeville. I promised a fella I'd help with some tilling work over there, but he wasn't home when I showed up. I went into Willy's Auto and looked at some new tires for my truck, didn't get them though. Then I went on home.

M: Who might that be you went on over to help out?
EM: Jake Whitley over off of Riverside Road.

M: What time did you get home?
EM: It was about 6:30 I'd guess.

M: You see anyone you know after you clocked out today?
EM: Not to speak of until I got home.

M: Who was home when you got there?
EM: The boys was out in the barn, they come in a bit after I did. Mother was out back, that's it I think.

M: All right then Elroy, you have any ideas on who had it in for the Izard's?
EM: Only half the county after today I'd say. I don't know who'd want to kill them though.

M: Any ideas where Ricky might run off to? Ever hear any of the kids talk about hiding places or like that?
EM: No, can't say I have. I know they like to play over to the creek, but not much place to hide around there. I'd check out barns myself, I think.

M: I do thank you for coming in tonight. I'll be back to you if I need anything else.
EM: I didn't have anything to do with this, Jack, I hope you know that.

M: Night Elroy, I'll be in touch with you.