Lets do it intellectually not forcefully, Whatley said. Robert Lewis, whose home was bombed by Klansmen, drew inspiration from the sacrifices of the CORE workers. Although acknowledging he was hesitant, Judge John Reeves recused himself Thursday from conducting a hearing for a convicted Ferriday murderer who has spent the past 10 years in the Louisiana State Penitentiary. On December 10, 1964, two unidentified white men set fire to the shoe repair shop owned by Frank Morris. Cynthia Deitle, the chief of the FBI's civil rights unit, sent the Concordia Sentinel newspaper an e-mail with this response: "I am convinced that there are individuals alive today who know who killed Mr. Morris. Natchez Democrat. His daily tasks included repairing shoes and saddles, selling jewellery, hats, and clothing, and dyeing purses. Donnie Sanders III, 24, is charged with second-degree murder. Whatley said Klansmen also shot out the lights on his grandmothers house and drove around the home several times for days to intimidate the family. Two charged with murder after Natchez teacher killed in - KNOE Ferridays population of more than 4,500 residents was roughly half black and half white in the mid-1960s, a time when black citizens quietly celebrated civil rights wins and white supremacists desperately tried to halt legislative and social change. The group killed an African American man, Frank Morris, by arson in Ferriday, Louisiana, and is suspected in two car bombings of NAACP leaders in Natchez, Mississippi, George Metcalfe and Wharlest Jackson. At approximately noon Sunday, Grant Dunbar, 24, was found dead at a residence in the area of Fifth Street and Georgia Avenue in Ferriday, said Ferriday Police Chief Sam King. (KNOE) - Authorities are investigating what they believe to be a murder-suicide in Concordia Parish. Theriots grandmother was worried he would be headed her way and asked Richmond County, Virginia, sheriff's deputies to go to her home, Sheriff Stephan Smith has said. There have been allegations of witness intimidation, evidence tampering, and involvement by local law enforcement. Nelson interviewed witnesses to uncover unknown facts and haunting recollections about the racially-motivated murders around Ferriday. NATCHEZ, Miss. After a false KKK rumor that he had flirted with. Officials had said that Theriot was believed to have been Summers boyfriend, but her family strongly denies that they were dating. Their only protection came from the Deacons, he said. No charges have been brought despite three FBI investigations. Ferriday police chief: Two arrests made in Sunday afternoon killing in At the time of his death, Morris owned the land his shop was on, and he was seen as an honest man who paid his bills on time. Louisiana shooting suspect Dakota Theriot captured. No one was hurt during the arrest, Ard said. Now, 46 years later, Stanley Nelson, the editor of the Concordia Sentinel newspaper, says he has found information that may implicate a man as a member of a Klan "wrecking crew," which is said by sources Nelson has interviewed to be responsible for burning down the shop. Wed march on the jail. In his first year of teaching at Morgantown, Mr. McCray was named the 2018-2019 Teacher of the Year. UPDATE: Ferriday man charged with murder in Sunday afternoon fatal Silver Dollar Group - Wikipedia Read full article on original website. In a report from the Concordi He was also named 2018-2019 Teacher of the Year. Check out these great suggestions. Ard said that investigators believe Theriot had been living with the Ernest family for two weeks, and that the killings happened a short time after Theriot rode with Billy Ernest to drop his wife off at work and they returned to the home. FERRIDAY Concordia Parish Sheriffs Office deputies investigated two shooting deaths in the area of Lake St. John Sunday night. Two charged with murder after Natchez Teacher of the Year killed in La. That drew the ire of Klansmen, and three months later, some of them snuck up to his house and threw a gasoline bomb at it. [5], Following the bombing, the FBI launched operation "WHARBOM"[5] and placed multiple informants within Klan groups surrounding Natchez. Copyright 2019 WLBT. An identified suspect had also fired a shotgun into the home of Junious "Tee-Wee" Kelly after Kelly had witnessed the arson. [2] The informant, fearing for his life, did not share this information with the FBI until two years after the arson. FERRIDAY, La. They knew Klansmen would await Lewis release and that deputies would notify the Klan that a black activist was being released from jail. Ferriday policemen, including "DeLaughter, Bill Ogden, and Ferriday Police Chief Bob Warren", had ordered an unidentified witness to "keep his mouth shut", and later told him to "get out of town". Frank Morris (1914-1964) was an American businessman who died as a result of arson to his shoe shop in Ferriday, Louisiana, a city with a history of racial violence. [2] All four men were questioned and denied any involvement in the arson and murder. Had Duncan and the others not rescued Lewis, the police might have dropped him off at the railroad crossing in Vidalia, where Klansmen often waited when black people were released from the jail. One unique feature of the Ferriday Deacons was that they had what Whatley called the Junior Deacons League, composed of a half dozen teenagers. [2] The FBI investigators believed that Morris knew his attackers, but was unwilling to divulge their identities. The suspect had been living with the Ernest family for a couple of weeks before the killings, Ard has said. He was killed when the shop burned down in 1964. "I dont know what was going through a 7-year-olds mind, but I know it was a lot, so I would imagine that was we know that's why it took so long.". IE 11 is not supported. Later that week, Morace called the informant saying that, "The rabbit hunt is off forget about it". Until now, the case has gone unsolved. Part 2:In Bogalusa, the Deacons fought violence with violence. CONCORDIA PARISH, La. The sheriffs office said the incident happened on June 23 in the Ferriday area in northeast Louisiana. The FBI concluded the investigation in 2016 when investigators determined there was insufficient evidence to charge any individual with any federal crimes; furthermore, important witnesses, suspects, and informants were dead. [2], Stanley Nelson, an award-winning journalist and Pulitzer Prize finalist, published Devils Walking: Klan Murders along the Mississippi in the 1960s, after a series of articles in the Concordia Sentinel. [2] The FBI had received information that local law enforcement officials had been involved. One of the men who was attacked, Michael Clurman, told the Concordia Sentinel in 2007 that his co-worker, Mel Atcheson of Iowa, was beaten and kicked in the face by a white man on the streets of Ferriday in July 1965. However, Poisott was eliminated as a potential witness due to his erratic amphetamine use and difficulties differentiating between personal knowledge and hearsay. Part 3:In Homer, the Deacons defied Willie Rainachs segregation. He had previously dedicated songs to white women on his radio show and would lean into their cars and occasionally sit in their passenger seats. The population of Adams County was split roughly in half between blacks and whites. In 2007, Ridgen published a documentary for the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. that led to the federal trial and conviction of Seale, for the 43-year-old murder of African-Americans Henry Hezekiah and Charles Eddie Moore, two 19-year-olds from the Meadville, Miss., area. Harp and colleagues also found a "slightly scorched" suitcase filled with fourteen and a half pints of bourbon. FERRIDAY, La. Frank Morris (in the apron and visor) is seen standing in front of his shoe shop in Ferriday, La., in the 1950s. More history:Woman works to preserve Bogalusa home turned headquarters of civil rights group. Before those killings, Dakota Theriot allegedly killed Summer Ernest, 20, her father Billy Ernest, 43, and her brother, Tanner Ernest, 17. The FBI later concluded that the local Klan was likely to be involved, but conflicting accounts, no viable subjects, and lack of a motive led to the investigation being closed in May1965. In October 2008, Congress passed the Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act, to provide the Department of Justice and FBI millions of dollars to investigate these cases. According to investigators, on the night of the murder Frederick McCray Jr. gave a ride to the two suspects. On 50th anniversary of Ferriday civil rights killing - Louisiana Voice Courtesy of the Concordia Sentinel and William Brown Authorities in Concordia Parish say they are investigating the murder of a man recently named Teacher of the Year. Although both the Deacons and its younger subgroup were secretive, they let members of the black community know they would protect them from the Klan and law enforcement. The Concordia Parish Sheriff's Office (CPSO) is leading the investigation into the shooting at 106 Gremillion Street. He was convicted at that time of killing his parents and a teenage friend of his. The group is also suspected in the disappearance . Representatives of the non-violent Congress of Racial Equality flocked to Ferriday, deemed an outlaw town by the U.S. Justice Departments head civil rights attorney, John Doar. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. These men had long been outraged by one horrid memory the 1964 arson murder of Ferriday shoe shop owner Frank Morris. Two others from Ferriday Dantreze Scott, 24, and Deandra Griggs, who will be 23 in April are each charged with accessory after the fact to second-degree murder. Sons of Klansmen tied to Louisiana murder haunted by sins of their fathers. This page was last edited on 3 April 2023, at 04:13. When he saw one of the perpetrators fleeing the scene, he instinctively raised his gun and pulled the trigger, only to hear an empty click. Justice may finally be served, thanks to the reporting of Stanley Nelson of the weekly Concordia Sentinel. Two killed in Ferriday | KTVE - myarklamiss.com When Jones was interviewed on September22, he stated that "if he was arrested for this crime, officers also would have to arrest DeLaughter". Delaughter lied about his location during the arson, claiming that he was out of the jurisdiction on a non-emergency call. To date, every civil rights murder case that has been reopened and successfully prosecuted was the direct result of an investigation initiated by a journalist. Deacons for Defense and Justice in Ferriday, Louisiana took a stand He was able to escape the shop but sustained burns on 100% of his body. Battered and ostracized while he attended Ferriday High, Whatley would go on to serve in Vietnam. Once their mission was complete, members quietly returned to their modest lives. According to LSP,. Whatley contacted COREs central office after the attack, sparking an FBI investigation. The first full investigation of the Frank Morris murder began in January 1965, at the request of then-Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Rights Division, Burke Marshall. Another has been arrested on a second-degree murder charge Tuesday in relation to a fatal shooting that took place Sunday afternoon in broad daylight in Ferriday. The preliminary investigation concluded that Morris had not been involved in any racially motivated activities. Ferriday Police investigating suspected murder-suicide, West Monroe man arrested after allegedly raping adopted daughter, Monroe duo arrested for alleged sex trafficking of minor, 10-year-old shot during argument, Marion man arrested, 2 Winnfield residents arrested following death of 3 year old, One lucky winner in Arkansas is about to become $2.338M richer, La. It was kind of a barbershop-type of thing where you sit around, you talk about what has happened, who did this and who did that and what to expect next, Whatley recalled. Ard has said that Theriot left the Ernests' home in Livingston Parish in Billy Ernests pickup truck on the morning of the killings and that he was in the same vehicle when he was arrested in Virginia. These men had long been outraged by one horrid memory - the 1964 arson murder of Ferriday shoe shop owner Frank Morris. Born in Jonesboro before spreading most notably to Bogalusa, Homer and Ferriday, the Deacons main purpose was to fight fire with fire and to protect their communities. 4/23/2021 7:14 AM PT. The men broke multiple shop windows and proceeded to "spread a flammable liquid around the outside of the shop, and evidence indicates that the subjects may have spread the flammable liquid inside of the shop". Theriots parents, Keith and Elizabeth Theriot, were killed at their home in Ascension Parish and Keith Theriot gave information to investigators before he died that pointed to his son as the suspect, the sheriff of that parish has said. Violent Klansmen had long been embedded with corrupt cops, some of whom wore robes themselves. Murder of Frank Morris - Wikipedia "We are actively, as we speak involved in this investigation. Later, he was transported to the parish courthouse jail in Vidalia. For years, David Whatley has wondered how men can be so motivated by hate. They were identified as 65-year-old Mark Clark and 49-year-old Donna R. Clark, both of Ferriday. Donnie. FERRIDAY, La. Come nightfall, hed study his lessons by a spotlight illuminating his grandmothers lawn while keeping watch for violent Klansmen enraged over his involvement in the civil rights movement. ", "We know what happened here. The following day Morris's shop was attacked. Duncan was at the wheel, and when they reached the tracks with Lewis in the car, they bolted past Klansmen waiting there. The building was burned down in the early morning of December 10, 1964. ( KTVE/KARD) According to the Concordia Parish Sheriff's Office, on Monday, May 16, 2022, deputies received information from Monroe Police Department detectives about a person. Blacks also became deputies and police officers. "He has confessed to killing the five victims," Ard said. Vidalia juvenile dies in fatal crash in Concordia Parish We were able to get a dying declaration from the dad before he expired, Webre said. On February 27, 1967, Wharlest Jackson, an employee at Armstrong Tire & Rubber Company in Natchez, Mississippi, was killed when a bomb exploded under the hood of his car while he was driving home. The group is also suspected in the disappearance and murder of an African American employee of the Shamrock Motel, Joseph Edwards. The suspects then drove the body to an old food plant, where they hid it under plywood and garbage. McCray dutifully taught Technology Foundations and also served as Assistant Test Coordinator. He said anyone who wants to resolve racial injustices and divisions should do so legally, rather than violently. Two suspects have. ranks 6th in nation for best home security, SPD reports low home burglary count, Louisiana Cancer Research center expanding its research opportunities, KNOE Monday Evening Forecast with Chief Meteorologist Marcus Walter. In three interviews conducted by FBI investigators, Morris stated that "he saw a man pouring gasoline around the place [] another man had a shotgun and told him 'to get back in there, nigger'". Whatley said it was important for Deacons and activists to demand change in lawful yet effectiveways during the civil rights era, and he said that still holds true for the nationwide protests against police abuses today. Sons of KKK members haunted by sins of their fathers - The Daily Advertiser This went on month after month while I was in this school system.. Mr. McCrays zeal for education, infectious smile, gentle personality, fashion sense, and love for children will be missed by all of us at Natchez-Adams School District. No subscription required to play. Luckily, only the detonator exploded, not the bomb itself, sparing the family from tragedy. Two WHARBOM informants also reported information regarding the murder of Morris, and the FBI reopened the Morris investigation in August 1967. So when there was a problem, there was a way of communicating to them what was going on.. hide caption. These men had long been outraged by one horrid memory the 1964 arson murder of Ferriday shoe shop owner Frank Morris.No one was ever arrested for the killing. In Homer, the Deacons defied Willie Rainachs segregation, the 1964 arson murder of Ferriday shoe shop owner Frank Morris, In Bogalusa, the Deacons fought violence with violence, the LSU Manship School of Mass Communication Cold Case Project, Woman works to preserve Bogalusa home turned headquarters of civil rights group, Sons of Klansmen tied to Louisiana murder haunted by sins of their fathers, A half-century ago in Jonesboro, armed black men fought back, Here are 19 of the most influential civil rights leaders of today, George Floyds killing resurrects nightmares for families of civil rights martyrs, the nationwide protests against police abuses today, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Every murder is a senseless murder and this one certainly fits those criteria. All rights reserved. According to Ferriday Police Investigator Sean Sublett, Wilbert Henderson, 42, arrived at his home on Fifth Street and Tennessee at 12:44 a.m. Saturday when a man approached him from the side of . On May 20, 2005, the decomposed body of 28-year-old Loretta Lynn Chaisson Lewis was fished out of a canal on the outskirts of Jennings, in the Jefferson Davis Parish of southwest Louisiana. They also stated that Morace described a battery-powered device which could "spray five gallons of gasoline in five minutes". [according to whom?] We would make it known that we were alert and we were awake, and they would flee, Whatley said. CPSO says upon arrival, they found two bodies with fatal gunshot wounds. Louisiana journalist pursuing KKK killers across time - USA Today The project reporters have already produced information in high-profile cases that prosecutors have used to build criminal cases against killers and conspirators who had walked free for more than 40 years. Police say it happened on Johnson Street around 5 p.m. The victim, identified as Grant Dunbar, 24, was found dead at a residence in the area of Fifth Street and Georgia Avenue in Ferriday, said Ferriday Police Chief Sam King. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. DOJ names suspects; closes 1964 case, "Americas | US man in 1964 race attack charge", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Silver_Dollar_Group&oldid=1151221382, Racially motivated violence against African Americans, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 22 April 2023, at 17:09. The FBI opened a full investigation into his murder due to its civil rights implications, as Jackson was treasurer of the local chapter of the NAACP. 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