Cecil Price
Encyclopedia
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
. He was also a member of the White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan
.
Although never charged with the murders Price was convicted in October 1967 of violating the civil rights
of the three victims. He was sentenced to a six year prison term and served four and a half years at the Sandstone federal penitentiary in Minnesota. Following his release from prison he returned to Philadelphia, Mississippi
and worked a variety of jobs. Cecil Price died following a fall from a piece of equipment at his job on May 6, 2001.
station wagon on Highway 19 for allegedly speeding inside the Philadelphia, Mississippi
city limits. Inside the station wagon were three civil rights workers James Chaney
, who was driving, Andrew Goodman
and Michael Schwerner
.
Price arrested the three civil rights workers, allegedly for suspicion of having been involved in a church arson, and locked them in the county jail. During this time he denied their requests for a phone call and instructed that anyone who called looking for them should be told that the three men were not there. At some time during that afternoon, Price met with his fellow Klansmen to work out the details of the planned evening release and executions.
Price released the three following Cheney's payment of the speeding fine and followed them in his patrol car. At 10:25, Price sped to catch up with the station wagon before it crossed the border into the relative safety of Lauderdale County. Price ordered the three out of their car and into his. He then drove them to a deserted area on Rock Cut Road while being followed by two cars filled with other klansmen. He then turned them over to fellow Klanmen who committed the beating of James Chaney and subsequent murder of the three men. Price returned to Mississppi and resumed his duties as deputy while the bodies were being buried at an earthen dam that was under construction.
Following a lead the bodies of the three missing men were located at the dam site on August 4, 1964. Price was invited by FBI Inspector Sullivan to assist in the recovery efforts of the bodies. Sullivan suspected Price of being involved and wished to observe his reactions. FBI agent John Proctor
stated that "Price picked up a shovel and dug right in, and gave no indication whatsoever that any of it bothered him." Price also helped escort the three bodies to the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, Mississippi where the autopsies were performed.
. During this time Price declared himself a candidate for sheriff and he lost the election to Hop Barnette who was one of his co-defendants.
On October 21, 1967, Price was found guilty at trial and sentenced by Judge Cox to a six-year prison term. He served four and a half years at the Sandstone Federal Penitentiary in Minnesota
. Following his release in 1974, Price returned to Philadelphia where he worked as a surveyor
, oil company driver, and as a watchmaker in a jewelry shop. He was never charged with the murders of the three men.
Later in life Price refused to speak publicly about the events of 1964 to 1967. During an interview for the New York Times Magazine in 1977, he stated that "he enjoyed watching the television show Roots
". In the same article Price said "We've got to accept this is the way things are going to be and that's it."
Price died on May 6, 2001, three days after falling from a lift in an equipment rental store in Philadelphia, Mississippi. He died in the same hospital in Jackson where, thirty-seven years earlier, he had helped transport the bodies of the three slain civil rights workers for autopsies.
At the time of Price's death, Mississippi attorney general Mike Moore and Neshoba County prosecutor Ken Turner
were considering bringing state murder charges against some of the surviving defendants in the 1967 federal trial. Attorney General Moore saw Price's death as harmful to the ongoing investigation: "If he had been a defendant, he would have been a principal defendant. If he had been a witness, he would have been our best witness. Either way, his death is a tragic blow to our case."
. In this version, Ned Beatty
portrayed Sayville Deputy Oliie Thompson.
In the 1988 movie Mississippi Burning
, the character of Deputy Clinton Pell was a fictionalized version of Cecil Price. The Pell character was portrayed by Brad Dourif
with the part of Pell's wife played by Frances McDormand
.
In the 1990 TV movie Murder in Mississippi
, Deputy Winter—the third fictionalized version of Cecil Price, was portrayed by Royce D. Applegate.
Neshoba County, Mississippi
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 28,684 people, 10,694 households, and 7,742 families residing in the county. The population density was 50 people per square mile . There were 11,980 housing units at an average density of 21 per square mile...
. He was also a member of the White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan
White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan
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...
.
Although never charged with the murders Price was convicted in October 1967 of violating the 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...
of the three victims. He was sentenced to a six year prison term and served four and a half years at the Sandstone federal penitentiary in Minnesota. Following his release from prison he returned to Philadelphia, Mississippi
Philadelphia, Mississippi
Philadelphia is a city in and the county seat of Neshoba County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 7,303 at the 2000 census.- History :...
and worked a variety of jobs. Cecil Price died following a fall from a piece of equipment at his job on May 6, 2001.
Murders
On the afternoon of June 21, 1964, Price stopped a blue Ford CORECongress 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...
station wagon on Highway 19 for allegedly speeding inside the Philadelphia, Mississippi
Philadelphia, Mississippi
Philadelphia is a city in and the county seat of Neshoba County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 7,303 at the 2000 census.- History :...
city limits. Inside the station wagon were three civil rights workers 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...
, who was driving, 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:...
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...
.
Price arrested the three civil rights workers, allegedly for suspicion of having been involved in a church arson, and locked them in the county jail. During this time he denied their requests for a phone call and instructed that anyone who called looking for them should be told that the three men were not there. At some time during that afternoon, Price met with his fellow Klansmen to work out the details of the planned evening release and executions.
Price released the three following Cheney's payment of the speeding fine and followed them in his patrol car. At 10:25, Price sped to catch up with the station wagon before it crossed the border into the relative safety of Lauderdale County. Price ordered the three out of their car and into his. He then drove them to a deserted area on Rock Cut Road while being followed by two cars filled with other klansmen. He then turned them over to fellow Klanmen who committed the beating of James Chaney and subsequent murder of the three men. Price returned to Mississppi and resumed his duties as deputy while the bodies were being buried at an earthen dam that was under construction.
Following a lead the bodies of the three missing men were located at the dam site on August 4, 1964. Price was invited by FBI Inspector Sullivan to assist in the recovery efforts of the bodies. Sullivan suspected Price of being involved and wished to observe his reactions. FBI agent John Proctor
John Proctor (FBI agent)
John Proctor was an American FBI agent most famous for his role in the investigation of the 1964 Mississippi civil rights workers murders. An Alabama native, Proctor had been stationed by the FBI in Meridian, Mississippi where he cultivated contacts with local law enforcement, the Ku Klux Klan,...
stated that "Price picked up a shovel and dug right in, and gave no indication whatsoever that any of it bothered him." Price also helped escort the three bodies to the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, Mississippi where the autopsies were performed.
Trial and aftermath
Following the discovery of the bodies the state of Mississippi refused to bring murder charges against anyone. However, in January 1965, Price and seventeen others were indicted with conspiring in a Ku Klux Klan plot to murder three young civil rights workers. The indictments were dismissed by District Court but the decision was later reversed on appeal and the charges reinstated. The trial of Price and the other defendants began on October 7, 1967 as United States v. Cecil Price, et al.United States v. Price
United States v. Cecil Price, et al. , also known as the "Mississippi Burning trial" , was one of the most famous criminal trials in American history...
. During this time Price declared himself a candidate for sheriff and he lost the election to Hop Barnette who was one of his co-defendants.
On October 21, 1967, Price was found guilty at trial and sentenced by Judge Cox to a six-year prison term. He served four and a half years at the Sandstone Federal Penitentiary in Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. Following his release in 1974, Price returned to Philadelphia where he worked as a surveyor
Surveying
See Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...
, oil company driver, and as a watchmaker in a jewelry shop. He was never charged with the murders of the three men.
Later in life Price refused to speak publicly about the events of 1964 to 1967. During an interview for the New York Times Magazine in 1977, he stated that "he enjoyed watching the television show Roots
Roots (TV miniseries)
Roots is a 1977 American television miniseries based on Alex Haley's fictional novel Roots: The Saga of an American Family. Roots received 36 Emmy Award nominations, winning nine. It also won a Golden Globe and a Peabody Award. It received unprecedented Nielsen ratings with the finale still...
". In the same article Price said "We've got to accept this is the way things are going to be and that's it."
Price died on May 6, 2001, three days after falling from a lift in an equipment rental store in Philadelphia, Mississippi. He died in the same hospital in Jackson where, thirty-seven years earlier, he had helped transport the bodies of the three slain civil rights workers for autopsies.
At the time of Price's death, Mississippi attorney general Mike Moore and Neshoba County prosecutor Ken Turner
Ken Turner
Ken Turner may refer to:*Ken Turner , British television and film director and screenwriter*Ken Turner , former Australian rules footballer...
were considering bringing state murder charges against some of the surviving defendants in the 1967 federal trial. Attorney General Moore saw Price's death as harmful to the ongoing investigation: "If he had been a defendant, he would have been a principal defendant. If he had been a witness, he would have been our best witness. Either way, his death is a tragic blow to our case."
Portrayals in film and television
The first fictionalized version of Cecil Price appeared in the 1975 CBS 2-part TV drama, Attack on Terror: The FBI vs. the Ku Klux KlanAttack on Terror: The FBI vs. the Ku Klux Klan
Attack on Terror: The FBI vs. the Ku Klux Klan is a 1975 two-part television movie, which dramatised the events following the 1964 disappearance and murder of three Civil Rights workers in Mississippi...
. In this version, Ned Beatty
Ned Beatty
Ned Thomas Beatty is an American actor who has appeared in more than 100 films and has been nominated for an Academy Award, two Emmy Awards, an MTV Movie Award for Best Villain and a Golden Globe Award; won a Drama Desk Award....
portrayed Sayville Deputy Oliie Thompson.
In the 1988 movie 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...
, the character of Deputy Clinton Pell was a fictionalized version of Cecil Price. The Pell character was portrayed by Brad Dourif
Brad Dourif
Bradford Claude "Brad" Dourif is an American film and television actor who gained early fame for his portrayal of Billy Bibbit in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and has since appeared in a number of memorable roles, including the voice of Chucky in the Child's Play franchise, Younger Brother in...
with the part of Pell's wife played by Frances McDormand
Frances McDormand
Frances Louise McDormand is an American film and stage actress. She has starred in a number of films, including her Academy Award-winning performance as Marge Gunderson in Fargo, in 1996...
.
In the 1990 TV movie Murder in Mississippi
Murder in Mississippi
Murder in Mississippi is a 1990 television movie which dramatized the last weeks of civil rights activists Michael "Mickey" Schwerner, Andrew Goodman and James Chaney, and the events leading up to their disappearance and subsequent murder in the summer of 1964. It starred Tom Hulce as Schwerner,...
, Deputy Winter—the third fictionalized version of Cecil Price, was portrayed by Royce D. Applegate.