This is such complexity to this case. I was looking at another source, the book regarding the paid FBI informant, Delmar Dennis, that was used by DeLaughter for the Medgar Evers trial, (Wm H. McIlhaney II, "Klandestine," (New York: Arlington House Publishers, 1975)
... and came up with this:
At the FBI's request, Dennis had reactivated his Klan membership. After Dennis (who became the FBI's paid informant) heard that the three were missing, "he recalled his thoughts…
"I began to see how it all fit together. First they had beaten the Negroes at the meeting and then burned their church down. If that wasn't enough to get Schwerner over to investigate I didn't know what would. I later learned that a young Negro boy had recognized one of the Philadelphia Klansmen who had taken part in the beatings. That same week he was killed in a mysterious car accident." p. 28, cites p. 8 of the Dennis manuscript
"By November much talk of the triple murder of June 21 was already circulating among Klansmen. Dennis heard some of this talk and was able to relay it to the agents with whom he worked. In one conversation, he heard James Jordan and Neshoba County deputy sheriff Cecil Price discuss the killing of the Mississippi black youth, James Chaney. Before Jordan shot Chaney to death, Price had hit the boy in the head with a blackjack. Price told Delmar that Jordan was the only man who knew that. This statement was important when Jordan claimed several years later that he had not witnessed the killings of the boys, but had been elsewhere nearby when they were taken out of their car and shot." (p. 34)
Note how this differs from Dr. David Spain's examination notes.
Then, according to Klandestine's author, during the federal government's trial ...
"Jordan took the stand Thursday afternoon after Dennis' testimony. His testimony, along with a statement taken from Horace Doyle Barnette in November 1964, proved to be the most incriminating testimony presented in the entire trial.
"But the two statements did not coincide in every particular. Jordan had lied abut his participation in the shooting. Naturally he would not confess that he had murdered Chaney. He said the he served as "a lookout" when the trie were killed and did not actually sitness the shooting.
"Before Judge Cox would admit the Barnette statement, he bowed to objections by the defense attorneys, who charged that the confession would be prejudicial to the other defendants. The import of Cox's actions wasd to strike the names of all the accused in the case with the exception of Barnette and Jordan.
"The Barnette statement placed Jordan right at the scene of the crime and charged that he did, in fact, kill Chaney. One uncensored portion of the statement said:
"Schwerner fell to the left so that he was lying alongside the road. Goodman spun around and fell back toward the bank in back. At this time, Jim Jordan said, "Save one for me." He then got out and got Chaney out. I remember Chaney backing up, facing the road and standing on the bank on the other side of the ditch and Jordan stood in the middle of the road and shot him. I do not remember how many time Jordan shot. Jordan then said, "You didn't leave me anything but a nigger, but at least I killed me a nigger."
"The Barnette statement concluded the case for the prosecution." (p. 87-88)
Still more ...
"The defense launched its attack late Friday afternoon. One Al Keene took the stand and charged that Jordan had admitted he actually killed all three of the civil rights workers. Keene, a resident of Mississippi City on the Gulf coast, said that Jordan lived with him and his wife in 1964.
"This was when Jordan supposedly described the Neshoba killings. Defense attorneys then began examining a long list of witnesses ..." (p. 88)
"Just before the case was turned over to the jury, the prosecutor, John Doar, surprised the court by requesting a not-guilty verdict against Travis Barnette. Apparently Doar felt that the government had not built the proper case against Barnette." (p. 89)
Barry Bradford
· 2 years ago
My students and I worked along with Jerry Mitchell and the Chaney and Schwerner families to get the case reopened. Our website: http://www.mississippiburning.org details that torturous process.
We came away with great respect for Attoney General Hood and his staff. They were sincere, hard working, and committed. However, we also were mystified by the decision to charge Killen only. There are others alive who were involved ad could be charged.
If you'd like to learn a less well known story of the era, please also check out our website at http://www.clydekennard.org
Giordan Smith
· 2 years ago
I've often wondered whether there's any actual evidence connecting Preacher Killen or the members of the White Knights of the KKK to these three murders. I don't think I've ever seen anything other than suspect verbal claims. After all, the confession of Barnette and the court transcript of Jorden's interrogation do not agree on numerous points, which makes it hard to decide which man, if either, is telling the truth. So is there any material, i.e., forensic, evidence? And if not isn't it a bit odd to accuse or find people guilty of of a crime when there's no evidence?
All Comments
... and came up with this:
At the FBI's request, Dennis had reactivated his Klan membership. After Dennis (who became the FBI's paid informant) heard that the three were missing, "he recalled his thoughts…
"I began to see how it all fit together. First they had beaten the Negroes at the meeting and then burned their church down. If that wasn't enough to get Schwerner over to investigate I didn't know what would. I later learned that a young Negro boy had recognized one of the Philadelphia Klansmen who had taken part in the beatings. That same week he was killed in a mysterious car accident." p. 28, cites p. 8 of the Dennis manuscript
"By November much talk of the triple murder of June 21 was already circulating among Klansmen. Dennis heard some of this talk and was able to relay it to the agents with whom he worked. In one conversation, he heard James Jordan and Neshoba County deputy sheriff Cecil Price discuss the killing of the Mississippi black youth, James Chaney. Before Jordan shot Chaney to death, Price had hit the boy in the head with a blackjack. Price told Delmar that Jordan was the only man who knew that. This statement was important when Jordan claimed several years later that he had not witnessed the killings of the boys, but had been elsewhere nearby when they were taken out of their car and shot." (p. 34)
Note how this differs from Dr. David Spain's examination notes.
Then, according to Klandestine's author, during the federal government's trial ...
"Jordan took the stand Thursday afternoon after Dennis' testimony. His testimony, along with a statement taken from Horace Doyle Barnette in November 1964, proved to be the most incriminating testimony presented in the entire trial.
"But the two statements did not coincide in every particular. Jordan had lied abut his participation in the shooting. Naturally he would not confess that he had murdered Chaney. He said the he served as "a lookout" when the trie were killed and did not actually sitness the shooting.
"Before Judge Cox would admit the Barnette statement, he bowed to objections by the defense attorneys, who charged that the confession would be prejudicial to the other defendants. The import of Cox's actions wasd to strike the names of all the accused in the case with the exception of Barnette and Jordan.
"The Barnette statement placed Jordan right at the scene of the crime and charged that he did, in fact, kill Chaney. One uncensored portion of the statement said:
"Schwerner fell to the left so that he was lying alongside the road. Goodman spun around and fell back toward the bank in back. At this time, Jim Jordan said, "Save one for me." He then got out and got Chaney out. I remember Chaney backing up, facing the road and standing on the bank on the other side of the ditch and Jordan stood in the middle of the road and shot him. I do not remember how many time Jordan shot. Jordan then said, "You didn't leave me anything but a nigger, but at least I killed me a nigger."
"The Barnette statement concluded the case for the prosecution." (p. 87-88)
Still more ...
"The defense launched its attack late Friday afternoon. One Al Keene took the stand and charged that Jordan had admitted he actually killed all three of the civil rights workers. Keene, a resident of Mississippi City on the Gulf coast, said that Jordan lived with him and his wife in 1964.
"This was when Jordan supposedly described the Neshoba killings. Defense attorneys then began examining a long list of witnesses ..." (p. 88)
"Just before the case was turned over to the jury, the prosecutor, John Doar, surprised the court by requesting a not-guilty verdict against Travis Barnette. Apparently Doar felt that the government had not built the proper case against Barnette." (p. 89)
We came away with great respect for Attoney General Hood and his staff. They were sincere, hard working, and committed. However, we also were mystified by the decision to charge Killen only. There are others alive who were involved ad could be charged.
If you'd like to learn a less well known story of the era, please also check out our website at http://www.clydekennard.org