denial of voting rights. Brother klansmen assaulted a bystanding newsman and an F.B.I. agent, both present in performance of their duties.

On May 19, 1965, members of the Original Knights used clubs, belts and other weapons to disperse Negroes from Cassidy Park, a public recreation area maintained by the city of Bogalusa.

Klan violence is not restricted to cases relating to civil rights activities. Time and again klans have set themselves up as judges of the moral virtues of the community and pass sentence upon those who failed to meet klan standards. Punishment is often meted out by klansmen who themselves do not adhere to the highest moral standards. Some of these have even been klansmen arrested and/or convicted in the past for such crimes as assault, rape or murder.

The klan sentence imposed in July 1964 on a white male residing in the vicinity of Slidell, La., is a case in point. According to the Original Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, this man stayed out late at night, drank and did not properly take care of his family. These alleged facts had been obtained by the klan bureau of investigation, maintained by the Pearl River klavern. It was decided that the klavern's "wrecking crew" would straighten the man out by beating him. As the man returned home one night from visiting a local barroom, he was apprehended by members of the "wrecking crew." He was dragged into a woods, where each member of the crew took turns at administering a severe beating with a heavy leather belt. The klansmen offered no word of explanation for the beating, and the victim was left lying in the woods. The klansmen were subsequently arrested, tried and convicted for their involvement in this incident.

In Hattiesburg, Miss., committee investigation established that at least five assaults by beating were carried out by klansmen. The victims were mostly white youths active in civil rights activities. One victim was a minister whose home, in addition, was struck by bullets during a gathering of civil rights workers. The klansmen were affiliated with either the White Knights or the United Klans of America, Inc., at the time of their actions.

In Vicksburg, Miss., in March 1965, two white males established to be members of the White Knights were eating in the Vicksburg Cafe, when a 77-year-old Negro entered the cafe. The white males asked the proprietor, "You mean that thing can eat in here?" The two then approached the Negro, threw raw eggs in his face, knocked him to the floor and kicked him. Thereafter, the klansmen proceeded to smash the glass out of the front door and otherwise destroy cafe property. Several days later, the same two men returned to the cafe. This time they threw a molotov cocktail, which broke against the cafe wall. Bent upon putting the cafe out of business, they tossed a second through the cafe window causing extensive damage.

On August 16, 1965, a white male was found dead near his home in the vicinity of Meadville, Miss. This man had broken with the klan and was believed to be in the process of turning his knowledge of klan activities over to law enforcement agencies. While the cause of death was listed as heart failure, an examination of the body showed evidence of a severe beating. There were welts from the bottom of the feet to the top of the head. There was a hole in the top of his head.

A split from the left side of his nose to his left eye was so deep that the roof of the mouth was exposed.

On September 16, 1963, a group of klansmen affiliated with the United Florida Ku Klux Klan, beat a white male resident of Calhoun, Fla. The 62-year-old victim became a subject of klan vengeance on an allegation that he had affairs with Negro women. Four klansmen called at the victim's home. One klansman went to the door and advised the victim that someone in an automobile desired to speak to him. As he left his home, he was hit on the back of his head and forced into the vehicle. In the automobile, he was hit with a pistol and forced to lie on the floorboard where he could not be observed. Ten miles from his home, he was further beaten, warned about his conduct, and abandoned. Cuts sustained by the beating required five or six stitches to close.

ARMS AND EXPLOSIVES

While klu klux klan leaders are apostles of non-violence when questioned about their stand on violence, numerous arrests of klan officers and members have established klans to be arsenals of destruction.

Caches of arms seized in the course of such arrests were never a lone pistol or shotgun or even one or two of each. Most caches included many shotguns, rifles and hand-guns in a variety of gauges and calibers, as well as sizable quantities of ammunition. Many seizures disclosed stores of blasting powder, dynamite, fuses and caps. Others uncovered home-made bombs complete in every detail. Many caches included knives, bayonets and clubs. Some included items of disguise such as hoods, masks and false faces of rubber made to resemble a human or animal.

At least three active klansmen were discovered to be holders of Federal firearms licenses and therefore a source of supply for klansmen located in their area.

Klans were found to be actively promoting instruction in the use of dynamite and other explosive devices, in the use of pistol and rifle, and the use of judo and karate.

Photograph #1 (p. 104) shows items seized on March 28, 1966, from the residence of Sam Holloway Bowers, Jr., imperial wizard, White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan of Mississippi. Bowers, who had been a witness before the committee on Feb. 1, 1966, was in March of the same year being sought by law enforcement authorities investigating the death of Vernon Dahmer, a civil rights leader.

Photograph #2 (p. 105) represents the collection of weapons seized on March 28, 1966, from the residences of Deavours Nix, chief of the White Knights Klan Bureau of Investigation who also appeared as a witness before the committee on Feb. 1, 1966, and Cecil Sessum, a White Knights exalted cyclops. Both men were arrested on the same date in connection with the death of the aforementioned Vernon Dahmer.R

Photograph #3 (p. 106) shows some of the 43 items found in a search of the residence and auto of Paul Dewey Wilson at the time of his arrest on September 30, 1964, in McComb, Miss. Wilson was one of a number of members of the United Klans of America arrested and subsequently convicted of participation in a series of bombings in

• Further reference to the Dahmer case will be found on p. 123 of this chapter.

This assortment of weapons, ammunition, and masks was seized Mar. 28, 1966, at the residence of Sam Holloway Bowers, Jr., imperial wizard of the White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan of Mississippi.

the McComb area. Police uncovered Russian surplus rifles and ammunition, which committee investigation determined had been purchased from a klansman who was also a federally licensed firearms dealer, Louis A. DiSalvo. The cache in Paul Wilson's possession included, in addition, pistols, billy clubs, a hypodermic syringe, a black leatherette apron and hood, numerous pairs of gloves and a tin deputy sheriff's badge. Both Wilson and DiSalvo invoked constitutional privileges against self-incrimination when interrogated by the committee on Feb. 3, 1966, and Jan. 13, 1966, respectively.

Photograph #4 (p. 107) demonstrates that another arsenal of weapons was maintained by Sterling "Bubba" Gillis, one of Wilson's brother klansmen also convicted for his role in the McComb, Miss., bombings. The weapons were taken from Gillis' home at the time of his arrest on October 5, 1964.

Photograph #5 (p. 108) depicts the home-made bombs stored near the home of Emery Allen Lee, a member of the United Klans convicted in connection with the McComb bombings and a witness before the committee on Feb. 3, 1966. At the time of his arrest, October 5, 1964, police seized pipe bombs, capped and fused and ready for detonation, as well as hand grenades and a large quantity of blasting powder.

A collection of weapons seized Mar. 28, 1966, from the homes of Deavours Nix, chief of the White Knights Klan Bureau of Investigation, and Cecil Sessum, a White Knights exalted cyclops.

Photograph #6 (p. 109) shows weapons and ammunition which for the most part were seized from the home of Myron Wayne "Jack" Seale when he was arrested in Natchez, Miss., on October 23, 1964. Seale, a member of the White Knights who transferred to the United Klans, was charged with assault and battery with intent to kill in connection with an assault on two civil rights workers near Port Gibson, Miss., on October 31, 1963. Seale was interrogated by this committee on February 3, 1966.

Photograph #7 (p. 110) indicates the size of the arsenal carried by five members of the United Klans of America at the time of their arrest on April 24, 1964, in Griffin, Ga., as a result of a cross-burning. The cross was burned in front of a business owned by Negroes active in behalf of civil rights. Rifles, pistols and hundreds of rounds of

Four Russian surplus rifles and a black leatherette hood and apron, shown above, were included in the arsenal seized from Paul Dewey Wilson, member of the United Klans of America, at the time of his arrest in McComb, Miss., Sept. 30, 1964, in connection with a series of bombings in the area [Paul Wilson Exhibit No. 1Feb. 3, 1966].

ammunition were recovered from two autos used by the klansmen during this intimidation effort. Each auto was also equipped with a walkie-talkie radio."

Louis A. DiSalvo, of Bay St. Louis, Miss., was an official of the White Knights as well as the holder of a Federal license to sell firearms. Rifles and ammunition purchased by him were traced to other known klansmen as well as Paul Dewey Wilson.

In Bogalusa, La., Howard M. Lee, a self-admitted klansman affiliated with the Original Knights, also held a Federal firearms license. During the period May-August 1964 alone, he purchased for resale 651 weapons of all types. He also purchased a total of 21,192 rounds of ammunition during the same general period. In violation of the Federal Firearms Act, Lee permitted other known klansmen to sell for him rifles, hand-guns and ammunition in bulk quantities without recording the identity of purchasers or by using aliases to cover the true identity of many klansmen. Over 216 violations of the act

7 The details of this case were presented to the committee by Leo Blackwell, chief of police of Griffin, Ga., who testified on Nov. 2, 1965.