Blacks for Bush

WOODVILLE, Miss. - Family members say a man found Friday hanging from a tree in rural Mississippi had returned home to fight for his family's land.

The body of 55-year-old Roy Veal was discovered in Wilkinson County, relatives said.

Warren Strain, spokesman of the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, said the body was discovered about midday in a wooded area of the county near Woodville. Authorities declined to identify the man pending notification of relatives.

But Doris Gordon, a Woodville native now living in San Francisco, said the victim was her brother, Roy Veal of Washington state. Thelma Veal, the man's mother, also confirmed the identity.

"They found my brother hanging from a tree with a hood over his head and some papers burned at his feet," Gordon said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press from San Francisco. "It's awful. We don't know who did it."

Oliver James, 72, one of the men who led police to Veal's body, said there appeared to be a blue flowered cover over Veal's head. James said one of the investigators on scene said it appeared to be a pillow case. James also said Veal's truck was parked about 50 feet from where his body was found.