Louis Allen
Encyclopedia
Louis Allen was an African-American logger and civil rights
activist, involved in voter registration
in the small town of Liberty, Mississippi
. He allegedly witnessed the murder of a fellow activist by a white state legislator, and was himself murdered when he approached federal authorities about the killing. Despite a consensus among investigators that Allen was killed by Amite County's sheriff, no one has been prosecuted for the murder.
On September 25, 1961, as he was walking past a cotton gin, Allen witnessed the murder of Herbert Lee, a member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
, by E.H. Hurst
, a pro-segregation
legislator in Mississippi's House of Representatives
. When Hurst was put on trial hours later, Allen and other witnesses were pressured into giving false testimony
, claiming that Hurst had shot Lee in self-defense
. An all-white jury acquitted Hurst.
However, Allen's conscience
persuaded him to tell the truth to fellow activists. He discussed Lee's murder with Julian Bond
, an SNCC organizer and the future NAACP president; Bond wanted Allen to tell his story to federal authorities, but in the racially charged atmosphere of Liberty, such an action was very dangerous. "He lied [at Hurst's trial] because he was in fear of his life", Bond later said. "If he had implicated a powerful white man in a murder of a black man, he was risking his life...I tried to encourage him to tell the truth, but you know, it was like saying, 'Why don't you volunteer to be killed?'"
Allen eventually approached the Federal Bureau of Investigation
and the United States Commission on Civil Rights
to change his story. An FBI memo reported that Allen "expressed fear that he might be killed", but the Bureau did not provide him with any protection. Rumors of Allen's actions subsequently spread throughout Liberty's white population, which responded by blackballing him from the community. When Allen reported death threats, the FBI—which had limited jurisdiction
over civil rights cases at the time—referred the matter to the Amite County sheriff's office. Another FBI memo, however, reported that "Allen was to be killed and the local sheriff was involved in the plot to kill him."
White hostility against Allen continued to intensify in Liberty. On one occasion, as Allen unsuccessfully attempted to register to vote at Amite County Courthouse
, he was shot at by an unknown assailant. In another incident, a white businessman threatened Allen, saying, "Louis, the best thing you can do is leave. Your little family—they're innocent people—and your house could get burned down. All of you could get killed."
Allen allegedly became a target of harassment by Amite County's newly-elected sheriff, Daniel Jones. In a later interview, Allen's son, Hank, described Jones as "mean", recounting numerous incidents where he arrested his father on trumped-up charges. Hank Allen remembered a particular incident where he witnessed his father being beaten by Jones outside his home, which culimnated in Jones breaking Louis Allen's jawbone
with a flashlight
. Allen was arrested and spent the night in the county jail, but lodged a complaint against Jones to the FBI. He summarily testified before a federal grand jury. His complaint, however, was dismissed.
outside his property. He was killed by two shotgun
blasts to the head. His body was eventually found by Hank Allen.
, began examining the case files. Robinson's research in the following years pointed to Daniel Jones as a likely suspect in the killing. In 1998, Robinson conducted a tape-recorded interview with an elderly black preacher named Alfred Knox, who claimed that Jones recruited his son-in-law, Archie Weatherspoon, to "kill Louis Allen". When Weatherspoon refused Jones' request to "pull the trigger", Jones allegedly killed Allen himself. Both Knox and Weatherspoon are since deceased.
Jones also emerged as the prime suspect when the FBI reopened Allen's case in 2007. Jones' father was a high-ranking "Exalted Cyclops" in Liberty's Ku Klux Klan
, and contemporary FBI documentation claimed that Jones himself was a Klan member.
In April 2011, a report about the Allen case was broadcast on CBS
newsmagazine 60 Minutes
. As a part of the report, correspondent Steve Kroft
travelled to Liberty to interview local residents, but was largely met with silence. Kroft also interviewed an elderly Daniel Jones on his property, who denied killing Allen and invoked the Fifth Amendment
when asked about his alleged Klan membership.
Civil rights movement
The civil rights movement was a worldwide political movement for equality before the law occurring between approximately 1950 and 1980. In many situations it took the form of campaigns of civil resistance aimed at achieving change by nonviolent forms of resistance. In some situations it was...
activist, involved in voter registration
Voter registration
Voter registration is the requirement in some democracies for citizens and residents to check in with some central registry specifically for the purpose of being allowed to vote in elections. An effort to get people to register is known as a voter registration drive.-Centralized/compulsory vs...
in the small town of Liberty, Mississippi
Liberty, Mississippi
Liberty is a town in Amite County, Mississippi, United States. It is part of the McComb, Mississippi Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 633 at the 2000 census...
. He allegedly witnessed the murder of a fellow activist by a white state legislator, and was himself murdered when he approached federal authorities about the killing. Despite a consensus among investigators that Allen was killed by Amite County's sheriff, no one has been prosecuted for the murder.
Murder of Herbert Lee
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee ' was one of the principal organizations of the American Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. It emerged from a series of student meetings led by Ella Baker held at Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina in April 1960...
, by E.H. Hurst
E.H. Hurst
E.H. Hurst was a Democratic Party member of the Mississippi House of Representatives in the 1950s-60s, who opposed registration of African-American voters. On September 25, 1961, Hurst, who was white, shot and killed his former childhood friend, Herbert Lee, who was black...
, a pro-segregation
Racial segregation in the United States
Racial segregation in the United States, as a general term, included the racial segregation or hypersegregation of facilities, services, and opportunities such as housing, medical care, education, employment, and transportation along racial lines...
legislator in Mississippi's House of Representatives
Mississippi House of Representatives
The Mississippi House of Representatives is the lower house of the Mississippi Legislature, the lawmaking body of the U.S. state of Mississippi....
. When Hurst was put on trial hours later, Allen and other witnesses were pressured into giving false testimony
Perjury
Perjury, also known as forswearing, is the willful act of swearing a false oath or affirmation to tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing, concerning matters material to a judicial proceeding. That is, the witness falsely promises to tell the truth about matters which affect the outcome of the...
, claiming that Hurst had shot Lee in self-defense
Self-defense
Self-defense, self-defence or private defense is a countermeasure that involves defending oneself, one's property or the well-being of another from physical harm. The use of the right of self-defense as a legal justification for the use of force in times of danger is available in many...
. An all-white jury acquitted Hurst.
However, Allen's conscience
Conscience
Conscience is an aptitude, faculty, intuition or judgment of the intellect that distinguishes right from wrong. Moral judgement may derive from values or norms...
persuaded him to tell the truth to fellow activists. He discussed Lee's murder with Julian Bond
Julian Bond
Horace Julian Bond , known as Julian Bond, is an American social activist and leader in the American civil rights movement, politician, professor, and writer. While a student at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, during the early 1960s, he helped found the Student Nonviolent Coordinating...
, an SNCC organizer and the future NAACP president; Bond wanted Allen to tell his story to federal authorities, but in the racially charged atmosphere of Liberty, such an action was very dangerous. "He lied [at Hurst's trial] because he was in fear of his life", Bond later said. "If he had implicated a powerful white man in a murder of a black man, he was risking his life...I tried to encourage him to tell the truth, but you know, it was like saying, 'Why don't you volunteer to be killed?'"
Allen eventually approached the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
and the United States Commission on Civil Rights
United States Commission on Civil Rights
The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights is historically a bipartisan, independent commission of the U.S. federal government charged with the responsibility for investigating, reporting on, and making recommendations concerning civil rights issues that face the nation.-Commissioners:The Commission is...
to change his story. An FBI memo reported that Allen "expressed fear that he might be killed", but the Bureau did not provide him with any protection. Rumors of Allen's actions subsequently spread throughout Liberty's white population, which responded by blackballing him from the community. When Allen reported death threats, the FBI—which had limited jurisdiction
Jurisdiction
Jurisdiction is the practical authority granted to a formally constituted legal body or to a political leader to deal with and make pronouncements on legal matters and, by implication, to administer justice within a defined area of responsibility...
over civil rights cases at the time—referred the matter to the Amite County sheriff's office. Another FBI memo, however, reported that "Allen was to be killed and the local sheriff was involved in the plot to kill him."
White hostility against Allen continued to intensify in Liberty. On one occasion, as Allen unsuccessfully attempted to register to vote at Amite County Courthouse
Courthouse
A courthouse is a building that is home to a local court of law and often the regional county government as well, although this is not the case in some larger cities. The term is common in North America. In most other English speaking countries, buildings which house courts of law are simply...
, he was shot at by an unknown assailant. In another incident, a white businessman threatened Allen, saying, "Louis, the best thing you can do is leave. Your little family—they're innocent people—and your house could get burned down. All of you could get killed."
Allen allegedly became a target of harassment by Amite County's newly-elected sheriff, Daniel Jones. In a later interview, Allen's son, Hank, described Jones as "mean", recounting numerous incidents where he arrested his father on trumped-up charges. Hank Allen remembered a particular incident where he witnessed his father being beaten by Jones outside his home, which culimnated in Jones breaking Louis Allen's jawbone
Jawbone
Jawbone can refer to the following:* Mandible, the lower jaw bone* Maxilla, the upper jaw bone of humans* Jawbone , a musical instrument made from the jawbone of a donkey, horse, or zebra* Jawbone , blues musician Bob Zabor...
with a flashlight
Flashlight
A flashlight is a hand-held electric-powered light source. Usually the light source is a small incandescent lightbulb or light-emitting diode...
. Allen was arrested and spent the night in the county jail, but lodged a complaint against Jones to the FBI. He summarily testified before a federal grand jury. His complaint, however, was dismissed.
Death
The deteriorating atmosphere within Liberty reached such a point that Allen arranged to move in with relatives in Milwaukee. On the night of January 31, 1964--the night before his scheduled departure--Allen was ambushed at the cattle gridCattle grid
A cattle grid or cattle guard – also known as a vehicle pass, Texas gate, stock gap A cattle grid (or stock grid)(British English) or cattle guard (American English) – also known as a vehicle pass, Texas gate, stock gap A cattle grid (or stock grid)(British English) or cattle guard (American...
outside his property. He was killed by two shotgun
Shotgun
A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...
blasts to the head. His body was eventually found by Hank Allen.
Investigations
No further investigation into Allen's murder was conducted until 1994, when Plater Robinson, a history professor at Tulane UniversityTulane University
Tulane University is a private, nonsectarian research university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States...
, began examining the case files. Robinson's research in the following years pointed to Daniel Jones as a likely suspect in the killing. In 1998, Robinson conducted a tape-recorded interview with an elderly black preacher named Alfred Knox, who claimed that Jones recruited his son-in-law, Archie Weatherspoon, to "kill Louis Allen". When Weatherspoon refused Jones' request to "pull the trigger", Jones allegedly killed Allen himself. Both Knox and Weatherspoon are since deceased.
Jones also emerged as the prime suspect when the FBI reopened Allen's case in 2007. Jones' father was a high-ranking "Exalted Cyclops" in Liberty's 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...
, and contemporary FBI documentation claimed that Jones himself was a Klan member.
In April 2011, a report about the Allen case was broadcast on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
newsmagazine 60 Minutes
60 Minutes
60 Minutes is an American television news magazine, which has run on CBS since 1968. The program was created by producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation....
. As a part of the report, correspondent Steve Kroft
Steve Kroft
Steve Kroft is an American journalist and a longtime correspondent for 60 Minutes. His investigative reporting has garnered him much acclaim, including three Peabody Awards and nine Emmy awards, one of which was an Emmy for Lifetime Achievement.-Early life:Born on August 22, 1945 in Kokomo,...
travelled to Liberty to interview local residents, but was largely met with silence. Kroft also interviewed an elderly Daniel Jones on his property, who denied killing Allen and invoked the Fifth Amendment
Fifth Amendment
Fifth Amendment may refer to:* Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, part of the Bill of Rights* Fifth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland, a referendum related to the Roman Catholic Church and other religious denominations...
when asked about his alleged Klan membership.
See also
- Mississippi civil rights workers murders
- Isaac Woodward
- Emmett TillEmmett TillEmmett Louis "Bobo" Till was an African-American boy who was murdered in Mississippi at the age of 14 after reportedly flirting with a white woman. Till was from Chicago, Illinois visiting his relatives in the Mississippi Delta region when he spoke to 21-year-old Carolyn Bryant, the married...