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Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal
http://www.djournal.com/pages/story.asp?ID=195231&pub=1&div=News

CAST OF CHARACTERS FROM 37 YEARS AGO HAS CHANGED

BY LEESHA FAULKNER

People from Neshoba and Lauderdale counties packed a courtroom in the federal courthouse in Meridian for a glimpse at the notorious back in the fall of 1967.

The state hadn't brought murder charges. Federal prosecutors found a law originating in the 1870s that would haul into court reputed Klansmen the FBI believed responsible for the disappearance and murders of Michael Schwerner, James Chaney and Andrew Goodman.

The law provided that the accused had deprived the three civil rights workers of their civil rights. In order to get a conviction, federal prosecutors would have to prove a murder case.

Here are the people who stood trial 37 years ago:

- Cecil Price, deputy sheriff of Neshoba County. He pulled over the station wagon carrying Schwerner, Goodman and Chaney. Price charged Chaney with speeding and booked the other two for investigation. He took them to the Neshoba County Jail. Testimony during the federal trial revealed that Price had met with others to capture the trio when they were released from the county jail. Price received a six-year prison sentence. He died May 6, 2001.

- Lawrence Rainey, sheriff of Neshoba County. Federal investigators believed he was part of the conspiracy to capture the three. He was never placed at the actual scene of the capture and murder. He was not convicted. Rainey died Nov. 8, 2002.

- Sam Bowers, businessman from Laurel. Federal investigators believed Bowers was the Imperial Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, who ordered the murder of Schwerner, also known as "Goatee." During the 1967 trial, Delmar Dennis, a self-confessed Klansman, said Bowers made his plan known in a coded letter about lumbering. Bowers received a 10-year sentence in 1967. He served no more than six years. In 1988, Bowers was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Vernon Dahmer, a civil rights activist in Hattiesburg. Bowers is alive and in custody at the Central Mississippi Correction Facility near Pearl.

- Horace Doyle Barnette, a Meridian auto parts salesman, an alleged eyewitness to the murders who confessed to the FBI. However, when he was indicted, Barnette repudiated his statement. During the federal trial, the judge ruled that because Barnette was a defendant, his statement couldn't be used against his co-defendants. Barnette received a three-year sentence. The Louisiana native is dead.

- E.G. "Hop" Barnett was a former Neshoba sheriff who served before Rainey was election. In 1967, Barnett was elected to another term as Neshoba sheriff. He was alleged to have been a Klansman. The jury couldn't decide on his participation in the case. He was set free. Barnett is dead.

- Olen Burrage was the owner of a trucking company in Neshoba county. Burrage owned the land where the three bodies were found. He was acquitted by the federal jury. He lives today just outside Philadelphia.

- Jerry McGrew Sharpe was a pulpwood buyer in Neshoba County. He was alleged to have been in one of the cars that pulled over Schwerner, Chaney and Goodman before they were taken to Cut Rock Road and killed. A jury couldn't decide on Sharpe's participation in the case. He was set free. Sharpe is dead.

- Edgar Ray Killen was a preacher. He was accused of helping set up the plot to kill the men and was alleged to have been present at the shooting and when the bodies were buried. A jury couldn't decide on Killen's participation in the case. He was set free. Killen operates a sawmill in Neshoba County. He is accused of murder in the deaths of Schwerner, Goodman and Chaney. His trial begins Monday.

- Billy Wayne Posey was the manager of a service station in Williamsville, just southwest of Philadelphia. He was a reputed Klansman, who witnesses testified took part in the burning of the Mt. Zion Church in Longdale to draw out Schwerner, so the civil rights worker could be eliminated. Posey was sentenced to six years in prison. He lives in Meridian. He is expected to testify for the prosecution during Killen's trial.

-Herman Tucker was a bulldozer operator believed to have driven the heavy machinery that buried the bodies of Schwerner, Goodman and Chaney in the dam just southwest of Philadelphia. A federal jury acquitted Tucker. He is dead.

- Bernard Aiken was a mobile home dealer in Meridian. Federal authorities believed he helped plan the kidnapping and murders with other alleged members of the Lauderdale Klavern of the KKK. The jury acquitted Aiken in 1967. He is dead.

- Jimmy Arledge was a Meridian truck driver. FBI sources placed him at the scene of the murder in 1964. Arledge received a three-year sentence. He lives in Meridian.

- Travis Maryn Barnette was a mechanic from Meridian. He was alleged to have conspired, but not directly participated in the events. A jury acquitted Barnette. He is dead.

- James "Pete" Harris was a Meridian truck driver. He also was believed to have known about plans for the killing of Schwerner. A jury acquitted Harris of conspiracy. Harris lives in Meridian.

- Frank Herndon was a manager of a drive-in restaurant in Meridian. Evidence presented at the trial showed the restaurant located on Tom Bailey Drive was a hangout for suspected Klansmen. However, a jury acquitted Herndon. He is dead.

- Alton Wayne Roberts of Meridian was a mobile home salesman. He was also a bouncer in a Meridian nightclub. He was accused of being on the scene when Schwerner, Chaney and Goodman were killed. Roberts was sentenced to 10 years in prison. He served no more than six years. He is dead.

- Jimmy Snowden was a truck driver. He also was accused on being on the scene with the civil rights workers were murdered. Snowden was sentenced to three years in the federal trial. He lives in Hickory.

- Richard A. Willis was a city policeman in Philadelphia. He was accused of helping with the conspiracy. A jury acquitted him in the federal trial. Willis is believed to be living in Noxapater.