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/