midnight on December,, in Ferriday, Louisiana, African American Frank Morris awoke to the sound of breaking glass, Outside his home and shoe shop, standing behind the shattered window, Klansmen tossed a lit match inside the store, now doused in gasoline, and instantly set the building ablaze.
A shotgun pointed to Morris s head blocked his escape from the flames, Four days later Morris died, though he managed in his last hours to describe his attackers to the FBI, Frank Morris s death was one of several Klan murders that terrorized residents of northeast Louisiana and Mississippi, as the perpetrators continued to elude prosecution during this brutal era in American history.
In Devils Walking: Klan Murders along the Mississippi in thes, Pulitzer Prize finalist and journalist Stanley Nelson details his investigation alongside renewed FBI attention into these cold cases, as he uncovers the names of the Klan s key members as well as systemized corruption and coordinated deception by those charged with protecting all citizens.
Devils Walking recounts the littleknown facts and haunting stories that came to light from Nelson s hundreds of interviews with both witnesses and suspects, His research points to the development of a particularly virulent local faction of the Klan who used terror and violence to stop integration and end the advancement of civil rights.
Secretly led by the savage and cunning factory worker Red Glover, these Klansmen a handpicked group that included local police officers and sheriff s deputies discarded Klan robes for civilian clothes and formed the underground Silver Dollar Group, carrying a silver dollar as a sign of unity.
Their eight known victims, mostly African American men, ranged in age from nineteen to sixtyseven and included one Klansman seeking redemption for his past actions,
Following theFBI reopening of unsolved civil rights era cases, Nelson s articles in the Concordia Sentinel prompted the first grand jury hearing for these crimes.
By unmasking those responsible for these atrocities and giving a voice to the victims families, Devils Walking demonstrates the importance of confronting and addressing the traumatic legacy of racism.
" I like reading history, but this was hard for me to get through, I read it after reading Greg Iles' trilogy, so it was interesting to see the intersection of fiction and fact, It added depth to my view of the Civil Rights battles, since I grew up in Southern California and didn't see the struggles they had in the South, What an exceptional book. It shows what can he accomplished by a journalist that is entirely focused, I loved the way that he formed alliances with several colleges to work on these could cases and bring some type of resolution to many of them, A very important read. Devils Walking by Stanley Nelson nonfiction If you are a fan of novelist Greg Iles and have read his Natchez Trilogy, you will recognize where the basis for his books came from.
Iles had said this books were based on actual events but chose to fictionalize them, Nelson published his book after Iles had published book number three, giving Devils Walking an even more of an OMG this was all true when you read his book.
Stanley Nelson is an editor for The Concordia Sentinal, These are Klan murders that happened in his backyard, He did the investigations for these stories for his newspaper, He was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for his work,
Devils Walking explores Klan murders that were commited in the Natchez,Mississippi and Ferriday Louisiana area, As you are reading the book and his read Iles' books you see exactly where his story came from, Most every one and every event is there, Only the JFK Assassination isn't dealt with, The book leaves the reader with a sense of "how can fellow human beings do this to each other", I would highly recommend this book to any one, especially if you want a look into racism and the Klan in the deep South,
Absolutely fascinating account of Klan activity in the's Mississippi and Louisiana, Mr. Nelson seems to have done exhaustive research to produce this work,
Since Greg Iles recent trilogy,Mississippi Burning, is largely based on this research I would certainly recommend it to anyone who is or has read these,
Perhaps more important is the feeling that many of us thought that the days depicted here were well behind us, I have included it in my current events bookshelf because we are seeing a resurgence in this sort of hate and bigotry, How often do we have to have lessons repeated Excellent work of true journalism, Love Greg Iles Wonder where he gets his Natchez stories This books is the real life version of a Greg Iles novel, Written by editor of Concordia LA newspaper editor the true story of the horrors in Louisiana and Southwest Mississippi during thes Civil Rights activity in those areas of the country.
This was where I grew up so there was a personal interest, It also was part of my continued interest in this part of my interest in the civil rights movement, Highly recommend but not for those who dislike violence, This is not a gory book by any means but it's hard to believe that devils truly walked the earth and they were so close to me, I was inspired to read this book by Greg Iles' Natchez Burning, It is definitely true that truth is sadder than fiction, This novel gives a clear account of tragic, maddening murders happening in an indifferent society not so removed geographically or temporarily from where I live today, Although all of the disparate facts can get a little confusing at times, the theme is absolutely clear: while making so much progress, we have so long to go in treating black lives as if they matter.
An important read, especially for those in and from the MissLou area, It took some excellent research to write this nonfictional account of Klan crimes of the sixties in the Ferriday, Louisiana and the Natchez, Mississippi area, written by journalist, Stanley Nelson.
Greg Isles based his fictional trilogy, Natchez burning on his account, as reported by the Concordia Sentinel, The reality is hairraising and I could not read it as quickly as I would a fictional novel, I grew up in Ferriday and remember, as a child does, the horrific crime that killed Frank Morris and left a cold case that Stanley Nelson's research helped to reopen.
Although no one can bring back the past, the author does a fair job, as only a writer can, of rendering justice to the families concerned, This was a very interesting book about my community, It's difficult to believe such evil was here but the book was very well written, I would be interested in any other book by Mr, Nelson as the book was an easy read, Being familiar with the area
and having heard some of the names just enhanced this reader's curiosity, I was inspired to read this book by Greg Iles books, Although his books are noted as fiction, you can see from this book where his books were born, It is tragic to read what was taking place in the south not that many years ago, . .
I picked up this book after Greg Iles mentioned that the author Stanley Nelson is the basis for a character in his Penn Cage books, The real life details are chilling I salute the author and investigation heroes who risked much to expose the perpetrators and coverups of these extremely disturbing crimes, It reads well, but I'm totally tapped out on bad, sad, mad horror for a bit and have had to put it aside, Having lived in Concordia Parish during the mid ''s, . . I couldn't pass this up, I met and knew some of these people personally, Stanley Nelson does an amazing job documenting the underbelly of corruption and hate that filled those times in Louisiana and Mississippi, Murder, Hate, Larger than Life individuals, all included, Stanley Nelson is senior staff writer for Chickasaw Press and a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation, He joined the Chickasaw Press staff in, after spending thirty years as a manager, editor, and columnist for newspapers and other media related enterprises in Oklahoma, Colorado, and Arkansas.
He is the author of Toli: Chickasaw Stickball Then and Now, which was released by Chickasaw Press in, His work has appeared in The Journal of Chickasaw History and Culture and Chokma: Chickasaw Magazine, and he has contributed text for a number of other Chickasaw Press titles.
He studied journalism at Rose State College in Midwest City, Oklahoma, and the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Nelson lives in Ada, Oklahoma, .