Delaughter lied about his location during the arson, claiming that he was out of the jurisdiction on a non-emergency call. McCray dutifully taught Technology Foundations and also served as Assistant Test Coordinator. One night in January 1966 as Whatley slept, his first cousin and fellow Deacon, Joe Davis, fell asleep during his shift to guard the Whatley home. McCray drove the suspects to a location around Bayou Drive in Ferriday, where the suspects pulled out a gun and shot him. Wed walk nights with rifles on our shoulders like you would see in some foreign countries, Whatley said. 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". Read full article on original website. That was not the only time Whatley helped an imprisoned black man in Ferriday. We will continue to update this article as more information becomes available. Nelson, Stanley. The Deacons came to life solely to protect their communities and others victimized by Klansmen and police. The sheriff's office said the suspect allegedly pointed a gun out the window of his vehicle causing deputies to seek cover, and that he was ordered to drop his weapon and was arrested without incident. Two charged with murder after Natchez Teacher of the Year killed in La. (KTVE/KARD) On Tuesday August 17 shortly after 2:00 a.m., troopers from Louisiana State Police Troop E responded to a fatal crash on . Our sincere condolences are offered to his family, friends, and coworkers.. [5] Jackson had recently been promoted to a position never before held by an African American. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) considered the SDG to be a highly-dangerous domestic terror cell, and conducted multiple investigations into its activities. "As far as why this happened, that motive is still unclear.". 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. In February1968, the second investigation was closed when the FBI determined that there was insufficient evidence to charge any of the suspects. A Ferriday man shot a Vidalia woman before killing himself with the same gun Tuesday afternoon in Ferriday. There have been allegations of witness intimidation, evidence tampering, and involvement by local law enforcement. 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. The group is believed to have had only some twenty members. 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. FERRIDAY, La. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Nelson interviewed witnesses to uncover unknown facts and haunting recollections about the racially-motivated murders around Ferriday. 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. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Natchez pastry chef Molly Manning Robertson in bake off for last spot in Spring Baking Championship finale, VIDEO: Funeral procession for long-time sheriff Tommy Ferrell passes by Adams County Sheriffs Office, Calm, focused and ready: The role of an ER nurse, A Team Sport: Emergency medicine, first-responders share common goal of saving lives, 2023, Mississippi's Best Community Newspaper. Nelson published the story Wednesday morning outlining the the allegations against Spencer. [2], On August 3, 1967, a confidential informant, who was a high-ranking officer of the KKK, told the FBI that a few days prior to the Morris arson, E.D. Morace approached the informant regarding an African American, referred to as "Old Frank", whom Morace said "had been flirtatious with white women". McCray drove the suspects to a location around Bayou Drive in Ferriday, where the suspects pulled out a gun and shot him. The expiry of the grand jury looking into the civil rights era murder of Frank Morris in the small town of Ferriday, Louisiana, has prompted expressions of anger and frustration from those . When Lewis was released after serving two weeks, Whatley and Antonne Duncan were part of a Deacon team organized to get him home safely. The Deacons connection to churches inspired the groups name. [5], Following the bombing, the FBI launched operation "WHARBOM"[5] and placed multiple informants within Klan groups surrounding Natchez. On December 10, 1964, two unidentified white men set fire to the shoe repair shop owned by Frank Morris. According to authorities, McCray was a teacher in Natchez with two degrees. NATCHEZ, Miss. 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. 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. "We've got a better picture on how this happened. [3][4], In 2007, Silver Dollar Group member James Ford Seale was charged and convicted for the May 1964 kidnapping of Henry Hezekiah Dee and Charles Eddie Moore, two African-American young men in Meadville, Mississippi.[5]. All games are FREE. The Louisiana State Police Bureau of Investigations is currently investigating an officer-involved shooting that took place in Ferriday on Sunday night. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. The 2020 crime rate in Ferriday, LA is 192 (City-Data.com crime index), which is 1.3 times smaller than the U.S. average. Published: Sep. 11, 2019 at 7:15 PM PDT. He was killed when the shop burned down in 1964. There were rumors of Morris being romantically involved with the wife of a white man, and after the arson, the white couple soon left town. Frank Morris (in the apron and visor) is seen standing in front of his shoe shop in Ferriday, La., in the 1950s. We will continue to update this story with more information as it develops. Klansmen took advantage of this, throwing a bomb just outside Whatleys bedroom window. FERRIDAY, La. An identified suspect had also fired a shotgun into the home of Junious "Tee-Wee" Kelly after Kelly had witnessed the arson. 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. That continues today, and even now.. 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. Despite the damage the bomb caused to his home and the threat it posed to his family, Lewis was handcuffed by Ferriday police and charged with aggravated assault, according to FBI and CORE documents. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 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. In an interview with Nelson, Spencer denies those allegations. Carl Ray Thompson, then 26, spotted his cousin's two-toned. [1][pageneeded] The shop was also his residence. The newspapers the bourbon was wrapped in had no signs of burning, indicating tampering with the scene. 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. An extradition hearing is scheduled for Friday morning. Until now, the case has gone unsolved. 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] The informant, fearing for his life, did not share this information with the FBI until two years after the arson. Cold Case: James Ford Seale: A sheriff's election, nine deaths and a silver dollar, Cold Case: Who killed Joseph Edwards? CPSO says upon arrival, they found two bodies with fatal gunshot wounds. Later that week, officers Frank DeLaughter and Bill Ogden intimidated Kelly and forced him out of town. Every murder is a senseless murder and this one certainly fits those criteria. We know that [Morris] was the victim of a brutal murder and we want to figure out who did it and we want to figure out why they did it," Tom Perez, assistant attorney general who runs the civil rights division of the Department of Justice, said in an interview last week. Updated: Aug 18, 2021 / 01:29 PM CDT. Investigators say the people involved were 19 and 20-years-old. CONCORDIA PARISH, La. Police say it happened on Johnson Street around 5 p.m. "[2] The FBI collected evidence at the crime scene and conducted interviews with local law enforcement, local Klan leaders, and witnesses. No charges have been brought despite three FBI investigations. [2] According to these informants, Morace was the primary conspirator in the murder of Morris; however, the FBI could not find any physical evidence corroborating their witnesses. 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. Battered and ostracized while he attended Ferriday High, Whatley would go on to serve in Vietnam. No subscription required to play. A black businessman was burned to death in tiny Ferriday, La., in 1964. A handful of members throughout the state also served as deacons within their churches, while others made their livings as teachers, construction workers, farm hands and general laborers. Nelson investigated rumors that police officers possibly committed the arson; according to Della Mae Smith, "Deputy Frank DeLaughter had organized the arson" and local police had set the home ablaze. Police investigating Labor Day homicide in Ferriday. Justice may finally be served, thanks to the reporting of Stanley Nelson of the weekly Concordia Sentinel. Lewis decided that if two visiting white men like Atcheson and Clurman were willing to take a beating in the name of civil rights in Ferriday, it was time for him to take a stand, too, and in August 1965, Lewis got involved with the CORE-sponsored Ferriday Freedom Movement. 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. [6] Ferriday Police officer William Howell Harp Jr. alleged that Morris was a bootlegger and sold narcotics. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. According to police, the man shot his girlfriend and then shot himself. Ferriday police responded to shots fired at approximately noon Sunday and found a man deceased with gunshot wounds upon their arrival. Violent Klansmen had long been embedded with corrupt cops, some of whom wore robes themselves. The Frank Morris case is just one of many civil rights era cold cases that journalists like Stanley Nelson and David Ridgen are investigating as part of The Civil Rights Cold Case Project, which is an unprecedented collaboration of journalists from across the media spectrum, created in the aftermath of the trial of former Klansman James Ford Seale. ", "We know what happened here. Concordia Parish authorities 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. According to investigators, on the night of the murder Frederick McCray Jr. gave a ride to the two suspects. "We don't really know what the motive is," Ard said. No one was ever arrested for the killing. The state of Mississippi in the Jim Crow era was infamous for racially-fueled lynchings. We do feel this is isolated to those individuals and we dont feel the community is in any danger at this point.. Not far from Lewis home lived Antonne Duncan, who days later ran through a Klan roadblock when he and other African American men transported Lewis home after his release from 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. Louisiana State University Press, 2016. A month after Seale was indicted in January 2007, the FBI announced a new cold case initiative and published a shortlist of about 100 civil rights era cases that it planned to reprobe. "Weve got a better picture on how this happened," the sheriff said of the five killings. CPSO officials said the incident is being investigated as a murder-suicide and there are no suspects at large. 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. This spring, Le Creuset has introduced an exciting new shade thats already selling fast: shallot, a soft lavender with pink and slight gray undertones. Ku Klux Klan (KKK) activity was exceptionally high during the Civil Rights era. Beloved Mississippi school bus driver killed during crash with 18-wheeler, Eleven players with Mississippi ties selected in 2023 NFL Draft, Truck possibly connected to Hinds County jail escape found in Newton County, Paraplegic fisherman speaks to Beulah Baptist Church, Belhaven football puts a smile on the face of little girl, City of Byram awarded thousands of state dollars for infrastructure projects, Request a First Alert Weather School Visit, Advertising Non-Discrimination Certification. In 1965, Klansmen had bombed the home of Whatleys neighbor, Robert L. Buck Lewis Jr., who had raced outside with a shotgun to defend his family against the perpetrators. The investigation revealed new allegations that local police officers were tampering with the investigation by threatening witnesses. Morris had a shoe repair shop in Ferriday, and died after his shoe repair shop was burned. David Whatley, the first black student to integrate Ferriday High in 1966, returned from tortuous days at school only to face just as many threats outside his home. The following day Morris's shop was attacked. As a Junior Deacon, he and other members were vigilant and on call when the older Deacons needed them. Donnie Sanders III, 24, is charged with second-degree murder. Robert Lewis, whose home was bombed by Klansmen, drew inspiration from the sacrifices of the CORE workers. More:Sons of Klansmen tied to Louisiana murder haunted by sins of their fathers. The Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office was called to the home at around 8:47 a.m. that morning, he said. Morris was interviewed three times; however, he was heavily medicated. According to the Concordia Sentinel, the Ferriday Police Department began investigating the deaths of two people who were killed Wednesday afternoon. 4/23/2021 7:14 AM PT. [2] After one of the subjects lit a match, the shop caught fire; Morris was still present in the building. Harp and colleagues also found a "slightly scorched" suitcase filled with fourteen and a half pints of bourbon. 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. Some members of local law enforcement, including Concordia Parish Sheriff Department deputies Frank DeLaughter and Bill Ogden, were members of the Silver Dollar Group.
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