Re.eQ~ch WQ. done o~iginQlly by JQck Minni. Qnd publi.hed in the Cong~e •• ionQl Reco~d, Ap~il 4, 1963. Minni. hQ. b~ought the ~eco~d up to date 6o~ thi. publication. The Szudent Nonviolent Coordinating Cmnmittee 6 Raymond Street. N W. Atlanta, Geor/{ia 30314 A Chronology of Violence and Intimidation in Mississippi Since 1961 Negro citizens attempt to cast ballots in Greenwood, August 1963. Note helmeted policeman photographing each of them as they enter the court­ house. The photographs can later be used to intimidate them, and per­ haps to force them from their jobs or homes because they tried to vote. 1881 tenced to a $400 fine each and 8 months January 1. Greenville. Washington in jail. One of these students, a girl of County: Two young wh1te men rode a 15, was turned over to juvenile authori­ motorbike through a residential area ties. released. subsequently rearrested. and. according to the local police chief. and sentenced to 12 months in a State fired a volley of shots Into a group of school for delinquents. Negroes. George Mayfield. 18. was seri­ August 29. McComb. Pike County: Two ously wounded In both legs; Percy Lee Negro leaders were arrested in McComb Simmons. 19. was shot in the right leg. as an aftermath of the sit-in protest March 30. Jackson. Hinds County: m~rch on city hall. charged with con­ Club-swinging police and 2 police dogs tributing to the delinquency of minors. chased more than 100 Negroes from a They were Curtis C. Bryant. of McComb, courthouse where 9 Negro students were an officIal of the NAACP. and Cordelle convicted for staging a sltln demonstra­ Reagan. of SNCC. Each arrest was made tion. Several were struck by the clubs on an affidavit signed by Police Chief and at least one person was bitten by George Guy. who said he 'had informa­ the dogs. tion that the two "were behind some of May 7. Jackson. Hinds County: Sev­ this racial trouble." eral white youths. riding in an open con­ August 30. McComb. PIke County: vertible. lassoed 9-year-old Negro Glocia SNCC Workers Brenda Travis. 16. Rob­ Laverne Floyd with a wire and dragged ert Talbert, 19, and Isaac Lewis. 20, her along the street. The girl suffered a staged a sit-In In the McComb terminal deep gash In her head that required of the Greyhound buslines. They were three stitches. cheek bruises. a lacera­ arrested on charges of breach of the tion of her rlR'ht shoulder. and burn peace and failure to obey a policeman's marks on her neck. Police made arrests. order to move on. They spent 30 days August 15. Amite County: Robert in jail. Moses. Student Nonviolent. Coordinating September 5, Liberty, Amite County: Committee-SNCC-reglstratlon worker. Travis Britt, SNCC registration worker. and three Negroes who had tried unsuc­ was attacked and beaten. by whites on cessfully to register In Liberty, were driv­ the courthouse lawn. Britt was accom­ ing toward McComb when a county offi­ panied at the time by Robert Moses. cer stopped them. He asked if Moses Britt said one man hit him more than was the man "who's been trying to reg­ 20 times. The attackers drove away in ister our nlggers." All were taken to a truck. court and Moses was arrested for "im­ September 7, Tylertown, Walthall peding an officer in the discharge of his County: John Hardy, SNCC registration duties," fined $50 and spent 2 days in worker, took two Negroes to the county j'llll. courthouse to register. The registrar August 22, Amite County: Robert told them he "wasn't registering voters" Most:s went to Libel'ty with three Ne­ that day. When the three turned to groes, who made an unsuccessful at­ leave, Registrar John Q. Wood took a tempt to register. A block from the pistol from his· desk and struck Hardy courthouse. Moses was attacked and over the head from behind. Hardy was beaten by Billy Jack Caston, the sher­ arrested and charged with disturbing iII's first cousin. Eight stitches were re­ the peace. quired to close a wound in Moses' head. September 13, Jackson, Hinds County: Caston was acquitted of assault charges 15 Episcopal ministers-among them by an all-white jury before a justice of three Negroes-were arrested for asking the peace. to be served at the lunch counter of the August 26, McComb. Pike County: Greyhound bus terminal. They were Hollis Watkins, 20, and Elmer Hayes, 20, charged with inviting a breach of the SNCC workers, were arrested while stag­ peace. They were found not guilty of the ing a sit-in at the F. W. Woolworth store charge on May 21, 1962, by County Judge and charged with breach of the peace. Russell Moore. They spent 36 days in jail. September 25 , Liberty. Amite County: Herbert Lee. a Negro who had been active August 27 and 29. McComb, Pike in voter registration, was shot and killed County: Five Negro students from a local by white State representative E. H. Hurst high school were convicted of breach of In downtown Liberty. No prosecution the peace follOwing a sit-in at a va.riety was undertaken. the authorities explain­ store and bus terminal. They were sen- ing that the representative had shot in 5 self -defense. at him." October 4, McComb, Pike County: The five students who were arrested as a re­ Diamond was refused legal counsel sult of the August 29 sit-in in McComb and fined $168. returned to school, but were refused ad­ November 9, McComb, Pike County: mittance. At that, 116 students walked Jerome Smith, 22, Congress of Racial out and paraded downtown to the city Equality-CORE-field man, and four hall in protest. Police arrested the en­ oompanlons, Dorothy Smith, 18; Alice tire crowd, but later released all but 19, Thompson, 22; Thomas Valentine, 23; all of whom were 18 years old or older. and George Raymond, 18, were attacked They were charged with breach of the by a mob of 30 to 40 whites when they peace and contributing to the delin­ sought service at the lunch counter of quency of minors and allowed to go free the Greyhound bus terminal in McComb. on bail totaling $3,700. At the trial on Smith, who suffered head injuries when October 31, Judge Brumfield, finding the he was slugged with brass knuckles dur­ students guilty, and sentencing each to ing the attack, said FBI agents were a $500 fine and 6 months in jaid, said: present at the tlme of the attack, but Some of you are local residents, some of did "nothing but take notes" while the you are outsiders. Those of you who are IIlOb kicked and beat his companions. local residen ts are like sheep being led to The victims were rescued from the mob the slaughter. H you continue to follow by a Negro' truck driver and Negro cab the advice of outside agitators, you will be drivers. like sheep and be slaughtered. November 10, Jackson, Hinds County: October 5, McComb, Pike County: Jessie Divens, 12-year-old, was arrested Charles Sherrod was arrested on the . for refusing to move to the rear of a city street, thrown into a police car, and bus. Judge Carl Guernsey released the charged with resisting arrest. Cordelle girl to the custody of Rev. G. R. Hor­ Reagan was also arrested and charged ton. chaplain of Campbell College where with contributing to the delinquency of she attended classes. Judge Guernsey a minor. Both were field workers for continued the case until November 17: SNCC. With the understanding that the Reverend October 11, McComb, Pike County: Mr. Horton and th... ch1ld come back with a workable plan which would cause the chlld's Paul Potter of Philadelphia, a vice presi­ mind to be concerned with education rather dent of the National Student Associa­ than social reformation. tion, and Tom Hayden of Atlanta, both white, were dragged from their car and November 18. McComb, Pike County: beaten as they drove alongside a group Persons unknown fired a shotgun blast of Negroes making an antisegregation into the bedroom of Dion Diamond and march. When the two slowed their car John Hardy at 702 Wall Street. Investi­ for a traffic light, a heavy-set white man gating officer Frank Williams found shot­ opened the door and dragged the driver gun pellets embedded in the window out and hit him several times. He then frame. walked around to the other side of the December I, McComb, Pike County: car, opened the door and knocked the FOur white men attacked three newsmen second man to the street. The incident on the street, sending one crashing into OCCWTed in the business section of the a plate glass window of a store. The city. newsmen were Tom Uhrborck and Don October 13, McComb, Pike County: Underwood, Life magazine, and Simmons Police Officer B. F. Elmore shot and Fentress. Time magazine. killed a Negro motorist. Police Chief December 2. 1.":cComb, Pike County: George Guy said that Elmore said he Police broke up an attempt by white had stopped Eli Brumfield at 4 a.m. for attackers to drag three Freedom Riders speeding. Brumfield allegedly jumped from an automobile at the Greyhound from his car with a pocket knife in his bus terminal. Four men kicked at the hand and attacked Elmore. A coroner's locked car and beat upon the windows jury ruled Elmore fired in self-defense. in an attempt to reach the young Negroes October 22, Jackson, Hinds County: and their driver, Thomas Gaither, field Dion Diamond, a SNCC worker, was ar­ secretary of CORE.