Nelson's talk on Ben Chester White draws record crowd

 By ROSCOE BARNES III
The Natchez Democrat

Stanley Nelson is speaking at the Sept. 26 meeting of the Natchez Historical Society at Historic Natchez Foundation. His topic is the 1966 execution of Ben Chester White by three members of the Ku Klux Klan. Photo courtesy of Jessica Ingram

NATCHEZ, Miss. -- Stanley Nelson's talk on the 1966 murder of Ben Chester White drew 120 people to the Sept. 26 meeting of the Natchez Historical Society at the Historic Natchez Foundation, according to people who attended the event.

The attendance set a record for the society, which averages 50 people at the monthly meetings, according to Alan Wolf, a director of the society and its program chair.
 
However, the recent meeting with Nelson rivals the society's annual dinner in January that set a record with more than 100 attendees, Wolf said.
 
 "It was electric," Wolf said. "There were so many new faces, and we were on the edges of our seats."
 
Jeff Mansell, lead historian of the Natchez National Historical Park, agreed. "This is as good as it gets," he said. "We had a great attendance, and people were deeply moved by the presentation."
 
"The NHS meeting Tuesday night was a huge success," said Linda Ogden, society board member. "The audience was indeed large and diverse."
 
Society board member Adam Gwin said the gathering says a lot about the community: "I think it says a great deal for a community that wants to look at its past and face it honestly."
 
The presentation
 
Nelson’s presentation was titled, "Murder on Pretty Creek: New Revelations on an Old Case." It focused on White, the 67-year-old Black man who was executed in 1966 by members of the Klan. White lived in a small community known as Sandy Creek, where his house still stands to this day.
 
Nelson talked about White's alleged killers, two of whom, Ernest Avants and James Lloyd Jones, were charged but not convicted in 1967; and a third one, Claude Fuller, who was never brought to trial. Avants was convicted decades later in federal court and died in prison a short time after his conviction.

Ben Chester White

During his talk, Nelson focused on the Klan activities in the Kingston community. He also discussed the personal life history of White and his friends. Nelson said White was only five feet tall and weighed 155 pounds. He was known as a "soft spoken gentleman" who was not involved with political or civil rights activism.
 
Nelson spoke about Jimmy Carter and Boyd Sojourner, both of whom became Adams County Supervisors. Both had also worked cattle together with White, and they knew each other all their lives, Nelson said. Carter owned the farm where White had lived and worked.
 
Nelson zeroed in on the planning of the murder and how it went down. He showed, among other things, that the Klan made two attempts on White's life.
 
One of White's murderers said they killed him in order to lure Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to Natchez to be assassinated. Nelson believes the killing was a "local action" and said he found no evidence connecting the murder to higher ranks of the White Knights of the Klan.
 
Nelson said a longer version of his presentation will be posted on Louisiana State University's website (lsucoldcaseproject.com).
 
Nelson is the former editor of the Concordia Sentinel in Ferriday, La. He is also the author of “Devils Walking: Klan Murders Along the Mississippi River in the 1960s (LSU Press, 2016) and “Klan of Devils: The Murder of a black Louisiana Deputy Sheriff” (LSU, 2021).
 
The audience

Nelson said he was happy to share his research on the White's murder and quite pleased to have a large and diverse audience.
 
"It was really good to see people so interested in our history and want to know about that terrible thing that happened to Ben Chester White," Nelson said. He noted the audience was "very attentive" and asked "great questions."
 
Nelson said relatives of White also attended the meeting, as did Denise Jackson Ford, daughter of slain Natchez civil rights leader Wharlest Jackson Sr.
 
"It was just a really great mixture of age groups and great turnout," Nelson said. "I was glad to see good African American representation there Tuesday night. Hopefully they will become part of the work being done by the Natchez Historical Society."
 
The audience included a white couple of some years who were farming near the area where the murder took place, according to Wolf. He added, "They knew Chester White. To him, he was Mr. Ches. They came and were very touched. They were shocked at the time of the murder."
 
Wolf said the meeting amounted to a memorial service to Chester White. The room was packed, he said, noting the meeting was a big deal in exposing the horror of the Ben Chester White case.
 
"There was some belated justice done for Mr. White simply by the telling of his story," Wolf said.
 
"Our audience doesn’t shy away from the difficult topic of race," he continued. "To the contrary, there may be a deep-seated desire to talk about it, and as long we have people like Stanley Nelson, who is profound and sympathetic, without being shrill and demagogic, we can have a good discussion."
 
Wolf and others said the Sept. 26 meeting will be hard to top. "We can equal this in future programs, but in terms of gravitas, we will never exceed it," Wolf said.
 

My article on George F. Bowles published by Natchez Magazine

The article presents the story of George F. Bowles and the house he built at 13 St. Catherine St., Natchez, Miss. In addition to being a veteran of the Union Army, Bowles was a lawyer who practiced in Tennessee and in Natchez. He served as a member of the state House of Representatives from Adams County. Bowles was also a successful businessman, inventor, newspaper publisher, and philanthropist. Bowles' house is now owned by Larry and Brenda Holmes.

Read article here:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/374229146_The_George_F_Bowles_House

My article on George Metcalfe is published by BlackPast.org

GEORGE METCALFE (1911-1989)

Contributed by: Roscoe Barnes III

Posted Sept. 20, 2023

George Metcalfe

(Courtesy of Ed Pincus Film Collection, Amistad Research Center, New Orleans)

I'm happy to report that my latest article is published by the online encyclopedia, BlackPast.org. The article presents a well-documented profile of George Metcalfe, a famous civil rights leaders in Natchez during the civil rights movement of the 1960s. Metcalfe was the president of the Natchez Branch of the NAACP when his car was bombed on Aug. 27, 1965, by the Ku Klux Klan. He survived the bombing but suffered serious and permanent injuries.

For a look at his story, visit here or follow this link: 

https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/people-african-american-history/george-metcalfe-1911-1989/

 

Part 2: MPB Think Radio interview of Frances Jefferson, sister of Anne Moody

#AnneMoody

Frances Jefferson, sister of Anne Moody, is interviewed by reporter Desare Frazier on Mississippi Edition MPB Think Radio.

Interview begins at 16:30.

Visit this link:

https://shows.acast.com/5d892b22719a100a4a0192bd/6509b0d83f085f00129a2662

 

MPB Think Radio interview of Frances Jefferson, sister of Anne Moody

#AnneMoody

Frances Jefferson, sister of Anne Moody, is interviewed by reporter Desare Frazier on Mississippi Edition MPB Think Radio.

Interview begins at 16:26.

Visit this link:

https://shows.acast.com/5d892b22719a100a4a0192bd/6509b0d83f085f00129a2662

Natchez Historical Society awarded $2,400 grant by Mississippi Humanities Council

By ROSCOE BARNES III
Special for The Natchez Democrat
Published 12:49 pm Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023

Jessica Fleming Crawford, southeast regional director for The Archaeological Conservancy, spoke at the May 23 meeting of the Natchez Historical Society. She talked about an archeological site related to the “Natchez Massacre” and chattel slavery in Natchez. 

NATCHEZ — Mississippi Humanities Council recently awarded a $2,400 grant to the Natchez Historical Society in support of the society’s monthly speakers’ program.

Specifically, the funding will cover the speakers’ honoraria of $2,400, said Alan Wolf, who serves as a director of the society and chair of its program committee. Wolf said that the society’s board of directors is all grateful to the council for the grant.

“It’s an endorsement of the importance and value to the civic life of the NHS’s programming about Natchez’s history,” Wolf said. “The idea is that by understanding the circumstances, people, and issues of our past we can better address the challenges and opportunities of the present.”

In other words, he added, “The award recognizes the NHS’s seriousness of civic purpose.” Wolf said the recent grant application was the first one submitted to the council.

“The Mississippi Humanities Council is excited to support the Natchez Historical Society’s outstanding programming,” said Dr. Stuart Rockoff, executive director of the council. “This year’s series offers speakers on a diverse array of topics that explore the richness and complexity of Natchez history.”

The society was organized in 1954 to collect and disseminate historical material about Natchez and Adams County. The nonprofit is dedicated to the historical study of Natchez and the surrounding area.

Danny Heitman, author of "A Summer of Birds: John James Audubon at Oakley House" (LSU Press, 2008), was the featured speaker at this year’s annual dinner meeting of the Natchez Historical Society.

“The local history spans an exceptionally long timeline from the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians to the present day city atop the high bluffs of the Father of Waters, the mighty Mississippi River,” the society notes on its website. “The contributions of Native Americans, African-Americans, and European settlers, have combined to form a rich local tapestry important to the understanding of the larger regional and national historical record.”
 
The society meets twice a month at the Historic Natchez Foundation. A formal meeting of its board of directors is held on the second Monday; on the fourth Tuesday, a public forum is held where recognized experts and historians give lectures and lead discussions on diverse topics related to Natchez’s history.
 
Since the creation of the program, speakers have included authors, university professors, independent scholars, community leaders, and elected officials.
 
The society also hosts an annual dinner in January that includes a speaker and presentation of its Historic Preservation Award.  The award honors individuals or organizations who have made a significant contribution to historic preservation or the study of history within the Natchez area.   
 
Read more at: https://www.natchezdemocrat.com/2023/09/13/natchez-historical-society-awarded-2400-grant-by-mississippi-humanities-council/

Stanley Nelson to talk about ’66 murder of Ben Chester White at Sept. 26 meeting of Natchez Historical Society

Nelson will present "Murder on Pretty Creek: New Revelations on an Old Case"

 By Roscoe Barnes III
Natchez, MS, USA / ListenUpYall.com
Sep 11, 2023 | 2:53 p.m.

Stanley Nelson
Author, "Devils Walking" and "Klan of Devils"

NATCHEZ, Miss. – The killing of Ben Chester White, one of the brutal murders that occurred in Natchez during the civil rights movement in the 1960s, will be discussed by Stanley Nelson at the Tuesday, Sept. 26, meeting of the Natchez Historical Society.

The meeting will begin with a social at 5:30 p.m. and Nelson’s presentation at 6 p.m., at the Historic Natchez Foundation at 108 S. Commerce St. The event is free to the public.

Nelson’s presentation is titled, “Murder on Pretty Creek: New Revelations on an Old Case.” It will focus on White, the 67-year-old Black man who was murdered in 1966 by the Ku Klux Klan. Nelson will talk about his alleged killers, two of whom, Ernest Avants and James Lloyd Jones, were charged but not convicted in 1967; and a third one, Claude Fuller, who was never brought to trial.

Nelson said Avants was convicted decades later in federal court and died in prison a short time after his conviction.

“The murder of Ben Chester White is one of the most haunting cases I have ever worked on,” said Nelson. “One Klansman confessed his involvement in the murder and identified the other two Klansmen involved. Yet a jury couldn’t reach a verdict in the confessor’s case because at least two Klansmen were on the jury.”

Nelson is the author of “Devils Walking: Klan Murders Along the Mississippi River in the 1960s (LSU Press, 2016) and “Klans of Devils: The Murder of a black Louisiana Deputy Sheriff” (LSU, 2021). He was the longtime editor of the Concordia Sentinel in Ferriday, La.

“Mr. Nelson has long held a justifiable reputation in Natchez as being as or more effective than the FBI in sleuthing out the terror-network here that was the Klan,” said Alan Wolf, a director of the society and its program chair. “Mr. Nelson promises to be true to form at this important coming presentation.”

The alleged killers reportedly drove to White’s house on June 10, 1966, and lured him away with the promise that they would pay him two dollars to help find a dog. White, according to Nelson, was gentle man, who was known to be kind and even timid when it came to challenging the authority of a white man. He was not active in politics or the civil rights movement.

Nelson reported the story as follows:

After White got into their car, they took him to the Pretty Creek bridge in Homochitto National Forest. The men got out of the car with Fuller grabbing an automatic carbine and Avants, a shotgun. Fuller said to White, “All right, Pop, get out.”

White said, “Oh, Lord, what have I done to deserve this?”

Fuller unloaded 17 rounds into White, and Avant finished him off with a shotgun blast to his head. They threw his body over the bridge and onto the bank of Pretty Creek.

Nelson said the killing was said to be a set-up for another murder: “There also were stories that this was a murder ordered by higher ups in the White Knights to draw Martin Luther King to Natchez in protest where Klansmen would assassinate him. But was this really true? We’ll be sharing never before reported information about this and on other aspects of the case at the NHS meeting.”

The society’s program featuring Nelson is funded in part by a grant from the Mississippi Humanities Council through funding by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

For more information on this NHS event, call 601-492-3000 or send email to info@natchezhistoricalsociety.org

See more here: https://listenupyall.com/2023/09/11/stanley-nelson-to-talk-about-66-murder-of-ben-chester-white-at-sept-26-meeting-of-natchez-historical-society/

Zion Chapel to celebrate Hiram Revels with bust in his honor

Unveiling set for Saturday, Sept. 30

By Roscoe Barnes III

Natchez, MS, USA / ListenUpYall.com
Sep 6, 2023 | 3:56 PM

Rev. Birdon Mitchell, pastor of Zion Chapel A.M.E. Chapel, said Hiram Revels was a man of many accomplishments. 

NATCHEZ, Miss. – Zion Chapel A.M.E. Church will celebrate the legacy of Hiram Rhodes Revels this month with a bust in his honor created by Bob Willis of Oklahoma. The bust will be unveiled in a ceremony in the church at 1 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 30, at 228 N. Dr. M.L. King St.

The Rev. Birdon Mitchell, pastor of Zion Chapel, said he was excited about the opportunity to pay homage to Revels.

“I, along with the Zion Chapel family, am ecstatic that Hiram Revels, a former pastor of our church, the first president of Alcorn College, and the first person of color to serve in the United State Senate,  is being recognized in our community,” he said. “The Lord’s name be praised! I’m truly thankful to all who are involved in making this event possible.”

The unveiling is free to the public. It is, in part, a celebration of Revels’ birthday, according to Norma West, event organizer. Revels was born on Sept. 27, 1827.

A banner featuring Bishop Richard Allen and Hiram Revels is displayed on the second floor of Zion Chapel A.M.E. Chapel.

Revels became the first pastor to serve at Zion Chapel in the 1860s, and in 1870, he became the first African American lawmaker to serve in the United States Congress. Following his time in office, Revels became the first president of Alcorn A&M College, which is now Alcorn State University, in Lorman.

“Hiram Revels is an important national figure, and it is fitting that this bust will be placed at Zion Chapel, from whose pulpit he entered the United States Senate and made history,” said Carter Burns, executive director of Historic Natchez Foundation. “I’m thrilled to see him honored in this way.

Roscoe Barnes III, cultural heritage tourism manager for Visit Natchez, said that he and Visit Natchez are assisting with the event.

"We are proud of Pastor Mitchell and Zion Chapel for honoring Hiram Revels with this important work of art by Bob Willis," he said. "We're asking local residents and visitors alike to come out to this church program and learn more about Revels and his role in Natchez's rich cultural history."

Sculptor Bob Willis was selected by Zion Chapel A.M.E. Church to sculpt the bust of Hiram Revels.

The ceremony will feature music by Tony Fields and presentations by Mitchell, Willis, and Mayor Dan Gibson.

Willis is a retired pastor with a passion for telling stories through his art. His work shows a special interest in Natchez’s history. Over the years, he has sculpted several busts related to Natchez, including one of John Roy Lynch, which he donated to the Natchez Museum of African American History and Culture.

Willis said he appreciates the opportunity to recognize Revels through his work. “It was my honor to sculpt a bust of Hiram Revels, recognizing his faithful service to his community, to our Country, and to our God,” he said.

For more information on the Hiram R. Revels unveiling ceremony, call 601-807-0454.

Bob Willis’ bust of John R. Lynch is on display at the Natchez Museum of African American History and Culture. Lynch was born enslaved in 1847 in Concordia Parish, Louisiana. In 1872, he became the first African American speaker of the Mississippi state house. He also represented Mississippi in the U.S. House of Representatives.

To see this and other stories at ListenUpYall.com, please follow this link: https://listenupyall.com/2023/09/06/zion-chapel-to-celebrate-hiram-revels-with-bust-in-his-honor/

Civil Rights Leader George Metcalfe’s Obituary

He was the president of the Natchez branch of the NAACP when he survived an attempted assassination by the KKK. His car was bombed by the Klan on Aug. 27, 1965.

George Metcalfe's obit appeared in the April 27 - May 3, 1989, issue of The Monroe Dispatch
(click on image to enlarge)

I finally have a copy of civil rights leader George Metcalfe’s obituary that appeared in the April 27 – May 3, 1989, issue of The Monroe Dispatch (Monroe, La.). I am grateful to Rebecca Wolfe of Ouachita Parish Public Library for her assistance in making this information available.

I learned of the obit’s publication through FindaGrave.com. In the interest of clarity for the readers of this page, I’m writing it out in the space below.

Homegoing Services for Bro. George Metcalfe

During the integration crisis during the ‘60s, Brother George Metcalfe marched side by side in Mississippi with the Evers Brothers Charles and the late Medgar Evers according to Dispatch sources.

Brother Metcalfe was funeralized in the Peter Rock Baptist Church on Tuesday, April 25, Rev. F. D. Nash officiated. Brother Metcalfe’s homegoing was unexpected Friday, April 21, 1989 at his residence at 2117 Evans Ave.

Bro. Metcalfe leaves to cherish his memories four daughters: Georgia Lue Miller, Lottie Arnold, Bobbie Jean Gilbert, all of Los Angeles, Beatrice Smith, Wisner, La.; one son: Jimmy Metcalfe, Los Angeles, Ca.: 5 sisters: Earnestine Metcalfe, Florence Metcalfe, Martha Harris, of Monroe, La., Bertha Brass, Wisner, La., Barbara Gibson, Los Angeles, Ca.: 10 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren.

Civil rights pioneer Anne Moody to be honored by Tougaloo College on Oct. 13

By Roscoe Barnes III
Special to The Natchez Democrat
 
Published 1:19 pm Sunday, September 3, 2023 

Anne Moody, author of “Coming of Age in Mississippi” 

Civil rights pioneer Anne Moody will be inducted into the Tougaloo College National Alumni Association Hall of Fame during a banquet ceremony at 7 p.m., Friday, Oct. 13, at the Jackson Convention Complex Center at 105 E Pascagoula St.

Frances Jefferson, Moody’s sister, shared the news Thursday. She said she is looking forward to the event. 

“I’m so proud that after fifty-nine years since her graduation, she’s finally given this honor in the Hall of Fame,” Jefferson said. “If she were alive today, I know she would be very happy about this recognition. It’s been a long time coming.”

Kerry Thomas, committee chairman for the association, said the banquet is a ticketed event that is open to the public. 

In addition to Moody, a 1964 graduate of Tougaloo, other honorees will include the Honorable Shirley C. Byers, 1975 graduate; Dr. Jean D. Chamberlain, 1971 graduate; and Dr. Sandra C. Melvin, 1995 graduate. Chamberlain and Moody will be honored posthumously. Moody is the author of “Coming of Age in Mississippi.” She died in 2015 in Gloster at the age of 74.

She will be recognized for her work in the field of communications. The Hall of Fame honor is presented to Tougaloo alumni “who have distinguished themselves through their dedication and commitment to their professions and Tougaloo College,” according to the association’s website.

Moody grew up in Centreville.  After completing high school in Woodville, she enrolled at Natchez College. She attended the school from 1959 to 1961on a basketball scholarship.  Moody wrote about her college life in her memoir, “Coming of Age in Mississippi.”  

The Rev. Reginald Buckley, president of the General Missionary Baptist State Convention of Mississippi, which owns Natchez College, has suggested the college and Moody have an important role in Natchez’s history.  He spoke of Moody during a January press conference at the school.  Buckley described the school as a “special place where Anne Moody began her college career and led her first protest over what most college students protest over – a cafeteria meal.”  

After graduating from Natchez College, Moody began her studies at Tougaloo College, where she became a civil rights activist.  She once said she had planned to study medicine and become a doctor, but life had other plans. 

In a Feb. 19, 1985, interview with Debra Spencer of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, Moody said that as a pre-med student, she considered becoming a doctor in Centreville.  “When the hospital was all … segregated, and they had very bad medical facilities for blacks and not any black doctors.  I would be the one to take care of my people medically but then … I realized even before we came to that point, you’ve gotta survive as a race.  I mean you’ve gotta survive as a human being with dignity and with grace, and we didn’t have that.” 

Moody said becoming “the only black doctor” in Centreville or Woodville would have been “prestigious” and “fantastic.  However, instead of becoming a doctor, she said, “I became a fulltime civil rights worker making $25 a week.” 

At Tougaloo, Anne met and worked with some of the most renowned people in the civil rights movement, which included Medgar Evers, NAACP’s first field secretary in Mississippi.  In “Coming of Age,” she wrote, “A few weeks after I got involved with the Tougaloo chapter of the NAACP, they organized a demonstration at the state fair in Jackson.  Just before it was to come off, Medgar Evers came to campus and gave a bit hearty speech about how ‘Jackson was gonna move.’” 

Moody also became friends with Joan Trumpauer, a freedom rider.  She and Trumpauer appear in the iconic photo of the Woolworth’s sit-in on May 28, 1963, in Jackson, where they were violently harassed and assaulted by a white mob. The photo shows the mob pouring sugar, ketchup and mustard on the heads of the activists.

It was during her time at Tougaloo that she also came to know civil rights workers James Chaney, Michael Schwerner, and Andrew Goodman, who were tortured and murdered by the Ku Klux Klan in June 1964.

 In her interview with Spencer, Moody recalled, “The week before they disappeared, I was in Meridian. We were sitting on the church steps and talking. That’s the first time I had ever met them, and I really liked them. We were joking around. Just the week before they disappeared.” 

Moody was so moved by the killings that when she tried to speak at a UAW convention, she became overcome with emotion. She wept and was unable to speak. 

Moody’s book has remained in print since the first day it was published in December 1968. In addition to having been a bestseller, it has been translated into many languages. 

It has also been required reading over the years in colleges and high schools.  For tickets, donations, and more information on the 2023 TCNAA Alumni Hall of Fame induction ceremony, visit https://tcnaa.org or send email to info@tcnaa.org.

Read more at: https://www.natchezdemocrat.com/2023/09/03/civil-rights-pioneer-anne-moody-to-be-honored-by-tougaloo-college-on-oct-13/