The Trial

The trial of United States Vs. Cecil Price, et al, began October 7, 1967 in the Meridian Courtroom of Judge William Cox. John Doar was the prosecutor in the case and Laurel Weir was the defense attorney. The jury was comprised of seven white men and five white women, which obviously put the prosecution at quite a disadvantage before trial began. The strength of the prosecution’s case against the eighteen Klansmen was the testimony of three other Klan members, Wallace Miller, Delmar Dennis, and James Jordan. They gave testimony on the June 21, 1964 conspiracy to murder Michael Schwerner, James Chaney, and Andrew Goodman. They were also able to testify against Cyclops Frank Herndon and Kleagle Edgar Ray Killen. Delmar Dennis, through his testimony, was also able to incriminate the Imperial Wizard of the White Knights, Sam Bowers. Jordan was the only one who was a witness to the killings, so he was the one who testified about the meeting of the Klan members to plan the murder of the three civil rights workers, the actual killing of the three men, and the burial of the bodies at the farm. The defense case consisted entirely of alibi witnesses who testified that they saw a number of the charged men at different locations, such as funeral homes and hospitals. The defense tried putting the men at different spots at the time of the murder. The prosecution, however, had a much stronger care than the defense.

The jury convicted seven of the defendants including Deputy Sherriff Cecil Price, Imperial Wizard Sam Bowers and the trigger man Wayne Roberts. Eight men were acquitted, including the owner of the Old Jolly Farm Olen Burrage and Cyclops Frank Herndon. As to the other three defendants, the jury was unable to reach a verdict. “The convictions in the case represented the first ever convictions in Mississippi for the killing of a civil rights worker” (Linder p6) Though it was the first such convictions in Mississippi, the impact was lessened by the punishment given to the seven convicted defendants.

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