ADAMS COUNTY
I am 20 years old and a field secretary for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.
On the first of November, 1963, Bruce Payne and myself left Natchez, Mississippi, and headed north to Fayette, at about ten or ten thirty in the morning. We were distributing ballots across the southwestern portion of Mississippi for the Aaron Henry Freedom Vote.
After leaving Natchez and going about two miles, I realized that we were being followed. After speeding up and slowing down the car, I realized that the car following us, a blue-green '64 Chevrolet with two male white passengers who appeared to be in their early 20s, intended to pursue us. As we proceeded north, I attempted to turn into a junction. I made a U-turn, and then, realizing that there was no mistake that the car was intending to stay with us, we continued north, speeding to attempt to lose our pursuers. After continuing for about another three miles, the car pulled up beside us and attempted to force us off the road. We were able to move to the side of the road without stopping, and continue on our way.
We went on at a much higher rate of speed, with the speedometer reading about 105 m.p.h. The other car managed to catch up again and once more forced us to the side of the road. I was able to stop the car and then back up to an intersection and turn to head south. As we went south we were once more forced off the road by the same Chevrolet. We were once more able to turn around and head north. The car caught up with us again some eight or nine miles down the road, and we were forced off the road and unable to continue.
The men in the other car jumped out and ran back to our car, and grabbed the door handle on the front left side of our car, but were unable to get the door open. They held a pistol and ordered us out of the car. We decided that if we were to have a chance to escape, this was it, while the two men were out of their car. As we pulled off in our car, one of the men fired the pistol into the back of the car. One shot entered the back left tire, two shots fired into the back left fender, and the fourth shot was fired into the trunk of the car. We continued at a high rate of speed north to Fayette, as the tire did not deflate. The car once more started to follow us; we turned in Fayette on a side road and were able to lose our pursuers.
SIGNED: George Greene
See Freedom Ballot in
MS for background & more information.
See also Mississippi Freedom
Movements for web links.
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