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Vernon Dahmer was a Hattiesburg businessman and civil rights activist who helped blacks register to vote. Dahmer\u2019s house was riddled with bullets and firebombed by the Ku Klux Klan on the night of January 10, 1966.\xa0 Holding off the attackers while his family escaped out the back of the house, Dahmer\u2019s lungs were damaged by the flames and he died the next day. \xa0After confessing to Dahmer\u2019s murder, one of the Klansmen agreed to turn state\u2019s evidence against the rest. Buck Wells served as a juror in one of the trials. In this episode, Wells discusses why Dahmer\u2019s efforts put him at odds with the Ku Klux Klan despite being well-liked within the community. He recalls some details of the crime and how the district attorney built an ironclad case.

Prior to the Civil Rights Movement, all-white juries rarely convicted whites of crimes against blacks. Wells explains how their jury drew inspiration from a higher power to reach a guilty verdict. After the jury voted to convict the defendant, the names of the jurors were published in the newspaper. Wells describes the harassing phone calls, as well as, words of support.

PHOTO: Hattiesburg American \u2013 Ellie Dahmer holds photo of her late husband

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