White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan
Encyclopedia
The White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan
was considered the most militant as well as the most violent Ku Klux Klan
in history. They originated in Mississippi
in the early 1960s under the leadership of Samuel Bowers, its first Grand Wizard
. The White Knights of Mississippi was formed in 1964, and it included roughly 200 members of the Original Knights of Louisiana. The White Knights were not interested in holding public demonstrations or in letting any information about themselves get out to the masses. Similar to the United Klans of America
(UKA), the White Knights of Mississippi were very secretive about their group. They were formed in 1963, and within a year, their membership was up to around six thousand, and they had Klaverns in over half of the counties in Mississippi. But by 1967, the number of active members had shrunk to around four hundred.
, James Chaney
, and Michael Schwerner
. The victims were members of the Congress Of Racial Equality
. Samuel Bowers had intentions to kill Schwerner because of his efforts to promote racial equality and to get Blacks to register to vote during Freedom Summer
. Since Schwerner was a white man helping blacks, he was perceived as an enemy. In his first attempt to kill Michael Schwerner, Bowers assembled thirty White Knights on the evening of Memorial Day
in 1964, and surrounded the Mount Zion Church while a meeting was taking place inside. Bowers thought that Schwerner would be in attendance, but after failing to find him when the meeting let out, the Knights started beating the blacks who were present, then set the church on fire after pouring gasoline inside. Schwerner had been in Ohio at the time working on helping the National Council of Churches
find more students to help with the Mississippi Summer Project. When he found out about the burning of the church, he decided to drive back down to Mississippi. Along with him went James Chaney
, a 21 year-old black man, and Andrew Goodman
. They were heading to Longdale in Neshoba County, where the Sheriff, Lawrence Rainey, and deputy Cecil Price
, were members of the Klan, although they never publicly announced it.
When the three activists got to Neshoba County, Deputy Sherriff Cecil Price
saw their car driving down the highway and pulled them over on the premise of possible involvement in the burning of Mount Zion Church. They were locked up, denied their right to make phone calls, and kept there, while Price worked out the details of their murder with a White Knight member, Edgar Ray Killen
. Hours later, Price released them, but followed them from behind in his car. They knew they were being followed, and they eventually stopped the car, where Price ordered them into his car. Two cars of Klansmen pulled up, and all three activists were shot at close range. “The bodies were placed together in a hollow at the dam site and then covered with tons of dirt by a Caterpillar D-4.” It was months before any indictments were made. Lawrence Rainey and Cecil Price
were indicted in 1965, but it was not until 1967 when eighteen members of the White Knights who were also involved in the crime were indicted. Six men were convicted, including Sam Bowers
and Deputy Cecil Price
. Seven men were found not guilty, and one was acquitted of all charges. Bowers and Wayne Roberts (the one who shot the gun) each received the longest prison sentence, ten years. The film Mississippi Burning
(1988) is based on these events.
Among those indicted was Edgar Ray Killen
, who was saved from conviction only because one of the jurors flatly refused to convict a man whom he knew to be a preacher. However, Killen was eventually convicted of the murders in June 2005, 40 years after the fact, and, at seventy-nine years of age, was sentenced to "three 20-year terms, one for each conviction of manslaughter in connection with the deaths of Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner in 1964."
, whose stage name was "Johnny Angel", as its new Imperial Wizard to succeed the retiring Sam Bowers
. Clary appeared on many talk shows including Oprah
and Morton Downey Jr., in an effort to build a new modern image for the Ku Klux Klan
. It was thought that Clary could build membership in the Klan due to his celebrity status as a professional wrestler. Clary tried to unify the various chapters of the Klan in a meeting held in the birthplace of the Ku Klux Klan
, Pulaski, Tennessee
, only to have it fall apart by infighting which occurred when the Klan came together. Clary's girlfriend was revealed to be an F.B.I. informant, which resulted in mistrust of Clary among the different Klan members. Clary resigned from the Klan and later became a born again Christian
and a civil rights
activist.
With the conviction of Killen in 2005, the bloody chapter of the White Knights of Mississippi came to a close. Price died in 2001, and Roberts is also now deceased. Today, the MS White Knights are led under Imperial Wizard Richard Green with over 100 members in Mississippi.
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
was considered the most militant as well as the most violent Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
in history. They originated in Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
in the early 1960s under the leadership of Samuel Bowers, its first Grand Wizard
Grand Wizard
Grand Wizard was the title given to the leader of the Reconstruction-era Ku Klux Klan which existed from 1866 to 1871.In 1915, the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan was created, initially as a fraternal organization. The highest-ranking leader of the latter organization was the Imperial Wizard. National...
. The White Knights of Mississippi was formed in 1964, and it included roughly 200 members of the Original Knights of Louisiana. The White Knights were not interested in holding public demonstrations or in letting any information about themselves get out to the masses. Similar to the United Klans of America
United Klans of America
United Klans of America Inc. was one of the largest Ku Klux Klan organizations in the United States. Led by Robert Shelton, the UKA peaked in popularity in the late 1960s and 1970s, and was the most violent Klan organization of its time. Its headquarters were the Anglo-Saxon Club outside...
(UKA), the White Knights of Mississippi were very secretive about their group. They were formed in 1963, and within a year, their membership was up to around six thousand, and they had Klaverns in over half of the counties in Mississippi. But by 1967, the number of active members had shrunk to around four hundred.
The Murder of the Civil Rights Activists
The White Knights were responsible for many bombings, church burnings, beatings, and murders. In 1964, they murdered three civil rights workers: Andrew GoodmanAndrew Goodman
Andrew Goodman was one of three American civil rights activists murdered near Philadelphia, Mississippi, during Freedom Summer in 1964 by members of the Ku Klux Klan.-Early life and education:...
, James Chaney
James Chaney
James Earl "J.E." Chaney , from Meridian, Mississippi, was one of three American civil rights workers who were murdered during Freedom Summer by members of the Ku Klux Klan near Philadelphia...
, and Michael Schwerner
Michael Schwerner
Michael Henry Schwerner , was one of three Congress of Racial Equality field workers killed in Philadelphia, Mississippi, by the Ku Klux Klan in response to their civil rights work, which included promoting voting registration among Mississippi African Americans...
. The victims were members of the Congress Of Racial Equality
Congress of Racial Equality
The Congress of Racial Equality or CORE was a U.S. civil rights organization that originally played a pivotal role for African-Americans in the Civil Rights Movement...
. Samuel Bowers had intentions to kill Schwerner because of his efforts to promote racial equality and to get Blacks to register to vote during Freedom Summer
Freedom Summer
Freedom Summer was a campaign in the United States launched in June 1964 to attempt to register as many African American voters as possible in Mississippi which had historically excluded most blacks from voting...
. Since Schwerner was a white man helping blacks, he was perceived as an enemy. In his first attempt to kill Michael Schwerner, Bowers assembled thirty White Knights on the evening of Memorial Day
Memorial Day
Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War...
in 1964, and surrounded the Mount Zion Church while a meeting was taking place inside. Bowers thought that Schwerner would be in attendance, but after failing to find him when the meeting let out, the Knights started beating the blacks who were present, then set the church on fire after pouring gasoline inside. Schwerner had been in Ohio at the time working on helping the National Council of Churches
National Council of Churches
The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA is an ecumenical partnership of 37 Christian faith groups in the United States. Its member denominations, churches, conventions, and archdioceses include Mainline Protestant, Orthodox, African American, Evangelical, and historic peace...
find more students to help with the Mississippi Summer Project. When he found out about the burning of the church, he decided to drive back down to Mississippi. Along with him went James Chaney
James Chaney
James Earl "J.E." Chaney , from Meridian, Mississippi, was one of three American civil rights workers who were murdered during Freedom Summer by members of the Ku Klux Klan near Philadelphia...
, a 21 year-old black man, and Andrew Goodman
Andrew Goodman
Andrew Goodman was one of three American civil rights activists murdered near Philadelphia, Mississippi, during Freedom Summer in 1964 by members of the Ku Klux Klan.-Early life and education:...
. They were heading to Longdale in Neshoba County, where the Sheriff, Lawrence Rainey, and deputy Cecil Price
Cecil Price
Cecil Ray Price was linked to the murders of three civil rights workers in 1964. At the time of the murders, he was 26 years old and a deputy sheriff in Neshoba County, Mississippi...
, were members of the Klan, although they never publicly announced it.
When the three activists got to Neshoba County, Deputy Sherriff Cecil Price
Cecil Price
Cecil Ray Price was linked to the murders of three civil rights workers in 1964. At the time of the murders, he was 26 years old and a deputy sheriff in Neshoba County, Mississippi...
saw their car driving down the highway and pulled them over on the premise of possible involvement in the burning of Mount Zion Church. They were locked up, denied their right to make phone calls, and kept there, while Price worked out the details of their murder with a White Knight member, Edgar Ray Killen
Edgar Ray Killen
Edgar Ray "Preacher" Killen is a former Ku Klux Klan organizer who conspired in the murders of three civil rights activists—James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner—in 1964....
. Hours later, Price released them, but followed them from behind in his car. They knew they were being followed, and they eventually stopped the car, where Price ordered them into his car. Two cars of Klansmen pulled up, and all three activists were shot at close range. “The bodies were placed together in a hollow at the dam site and then covered with tons of dirt by a Caterpillar D-4.” It was months before any indictments were made. Lawrence Rainey and Cecil Price
Cecil Price
Cecil Ray Price was linked to the murders of three civil rights workers in 1964. At the time of the murders, he was 26 years old and a deputy sheriff in Neshoba County, Mississippi...
were indicted in 1965, but it was not until 1967 when eighteen members of the White Knights who were also involved in the crime were indicted. Six men were convicted, including Sam Bowers
Sam Bowers
Samuel Kenneth Bowers , was a leader of the White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan.-Early life:Bowers was born on August 25, 1924, in New Orleans, Louisiana, to Sam Bowers Sr., a salesman, and Evangeline Peyton, daughter of a well-to-do planter...
and Deputy Cecil Price
Cecil Price
Cecil Ray Price was linked to the murders of three civil rights workers in 1964. At the time of the murders, he was 26 years old and a deputy sheriff in Neshoba County, Mississippi...
. Seven men were found not guilty, and one was acquitted of all charges. Bowers and Wayne Roberts (the one who shot the gun) each received the longest prison sentence, ten years. The film Mississippi Burning
Mississippi Burning
Mississippi Burning is a 1988 American crime drama film loosely based on the FBI investigation into the real-life murders of three civil rights workers in the U.S. state of Mississippi in 1964. The film focuses on two fictional FBI agents who investigate the murders...
(1988) is based on these events.
Among those indicted was Edgar Ray Killen
Edgar Ray Killen
Edgar Ray "Preacher" Killen is a former Ku Klux Klan organizer who conspired in the murders of three civil rights activists—James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner—in 1964....
, who was saved from conviction only because one of the jurors flatly refused to convict a man whom he knew to be a preacher. However, Killen was eventually convicted of the murders in June 2005, 40 years after the fact, and, at seventy-nine years of age, was sentenced to "three 20-year terms, one for each conviction of manslaughter in connection with the deaths of Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner in 1964."
The End of the White Knights
In 1989, The White Knights of Mississippi went national, and appointed professional wrestler Johnny Lee ClaryJohnny Lee Clary
Johnny Lee Clary is a former Ku Klux Klan leader who became a Pentecostal Christian and now travels around the globe preaching the gospel and teaching against racism and hate groups such as the Ku Klux Klan, Neo Nazis, and Aryan Nations...
, whose stage name was "Johnny Angel", as its new Imperial Wizard to succeed the retiring Sam Bowers
Sam Bowers
Samuel Kenneth Bowers , was a leader of the White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan.-Early life:Bowers was born on August 25, 1924, in New Orleans, Louisiana, to Sam Bowers Sr., a salesman, and Evangeline Peyton, daughter of a well-to-do planter...
. Clary appeared on many talk shows including Oprah
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
and Morton Downey Jr., in an effort to build a new modern image for the Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
. It was thought that Clary could build membership in the Klan due to his celebrity status as a professional wrestler. Clary tried to unify the various chapters of the Klan in a meeting held in the birthplace of the Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
, Pulaski, Tennessee
Pulaski, Tennessee
Pulaski is a city in Giles County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 7,870 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Giles County. It was named to honor the Polish-born American Revolutionary War hero Kazimierz Pułaski...
, only to have it fall apart by infighting which occurred when the Klan came together. Clary's girlfriend was revealed to be an F.B.I. informant, which resulted in mistrust of Clary among the different Klan members. Clary resigned from the Klan and later became a born again Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
and a civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
activist.
With the conviction of Killen in 2005, the bloody chapter of the White Knights of Mississippi came to a close. Price died in 2001, and Roberts is also now deceased. Today, the MS White Knights are led under Imperial Wizard Richard Green with over 100 members in Mississippi.
Sources
- Former KKK leader convicted of 1966 murderCNN.com, August 21, 1998.
- Biography of Sam Bowers
- Handbook of Texas
- Johnny Lee Clary speaks against racism Former Imperial Wizard of the White Knights of the Ku Klux KlanKu Klux KlanKu Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
- Alexander, Charles C. The Ku Klux KlanKu Klux KlanKu Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
in the Southwest. Lexington: University of Kentucky Press, 1965.