On the fiftieth anniversary of the murder of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner. The memory of the righteous is a blessing. Of a thousand details to the hasty lynching, such as securing a spare key to the bulldozer, only Schwerners last words confounded the Klansmen themselves. Jordan and others [Klansmen who were there] preserved them verbatim for agents who passed to Inpsector Sullivan [the FBI agent in charge] as indelible signs. The Klansmen heard nothing fearful or defiant, nor anything practical to escape the moment of terror, but they could not forget the spark of supremely disciplined faith that reached across the last human barrier. Alton Wayne Roberts exploded past more hesitant Klansmen to yank Schwerner from the cruiser next to a ditch. He jammed a pistol into his ribs and screamed from a face of animal hatred, Are you that n**** lover? Schwerner had an instant to reply, Sir, I know just how you feel. (Taylor Branch, Pillar of Fire: America in the King Years 1963-1965, p. 508-9)
Posted on: Sun, 22 Jun 2014 05:37:04 +0000
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