The bio of vernon dahmer

He looks at the window. We were out there protecting the security of the country. And my Dad and my Mom had to sleep in shifts to keep the family from being annihilated by the very people we were protecting in uniform. But by mid, the Dahmers began to breathe easier. But even though literacy tests were outlawed, the poll taxes endured, and Black citizens in Hattiesburg remained uneasy about registering to vote.

Intimidation was still the order of the day. KKK members routinely hung around the courthouse, staring down Black citizens. So Vernon, or one of his sons, would accompany groups of Black residents to the courthouse to pay their poll taxes and register to vote, protecting and supporting them every step of the way. Eventually, Vernon worked out an agreement with the local sheriff to collect poll taxes and have a voter registration book placed in his grocery store.

That night, the KKK came for him and his family. Two carloads of Klansmen roared up from nearby Jones County, led by noted white supremacist Sam Bowers. More than a dozen people were known to have been part of the attack on the Dahmer family, but most went free, or received short sentences. The death of Dahmer and the destruction of his home and store sparked a reaction that must have surprised the Klansmen.

White officials and community leaders were genuinely outraged. The Hattiesburg City Council set up a relief fund for the family, and a white-owned bank made the first donation. Whites and blacks alike donated furniture, clothes and materials to rebuild the Dahmer home. Local officials pledged their full resources to solve the crime. President Lyndon B.

His first wife was Warnie Laura Mott — ; their marriage of seven years ended in divorce in In , Dahmer remarried; this time to a woman named Ora Lee Smith — Unfortunately, Ora died after a long illness in The couple met after working on the school board together and married in March The family and their home was located north of Forrest County and was part of the Kelly Settlement , close to the Jones County border; the settlement named for Dahmer's maternal grandfather.

Ellie Dahmer taught for many years in Richton , Mississippi and retired in from the Forrest County school system. He was the owner of a grocery store, sawmill , planing mill , and also cotton farm. His main objective was to make a living for himself and to provide work for somebody else. He would hire local individuals from the community to work for him and did not discriminate between black or white.

His wife Ellie said "He was a good progressive Christian man. He wasn't a mean, bitter Civil Rights worker, because he saw good in white as well as he did in black. In , Dahmer was in the process of making out his new registration card when Luther Cox denied his attempts to re-register. Luther Cox was the authority figure in charge of registered voters in Forrest County and was a white segregationist.

Twelve years later, in March , the preliminary injunction was in motion of being viewed by the court of law. Dahmer had testified in court against Luther Cox and his testimony helped demonstrate the pattern of discrimination in the county. The student chapter did not last longer than a year. Dahmer's farm quickly became a home away from home for SNCC volunteers.

The farm was also used for registration projects and helped employ the committee volunteers. Dahmer kept a voter registration book in his grocery store in late to make it easier for blacks to register. Dahmer also made a public service announcement over the radio stating that he would help the local African American population pay a poll tax for the right to vote if they could not afford to do so themselves.

His mantra was, "If you don't vote, you don't count", and those words, which he repeated on his deathbed, were used as his epitaph. The Dahmers had been sleeping in shifts because they had been receiving numerous death threats throughout the year. The Dahmers also kept a shotgun by the nightstand and they were willing to use it in case they heard gunshots and needed to return fire and they always kept the curtains tightly drawn at night in order to make it harder for night riders to see into their home.

As Ellie went to grab the children, the house erupted into fire.

The bio of vernon dahmer

Dahmer returned fire from inside the house in order to try and distract the Klansmen while he helped hand Bettie down to Ellie. He was able to leave his burning home, but he was seriously burned from the waist up; Bettie's arms were also severely burned. The Dahmers' home, grocery store, and car were all destroyed in the fire. Dahmer was taken to the hospital, but he died of smoke inhalation and his lungs were also severely burned.

People who don't vote are deadbeats on the state. I figure a man needs to do his own thinking. What happened to us last night can happen to anyone, white or black. At one time I didn't think so, but I have changed my mind. Ralph Noonkester, led a community effort to rebuild the Dahmer's home. Local and state businesses such as the Masonite Corporation, Alexander Materials, and Frierson Building Materials donated materials, local unions donated their services, and students from the University of Southern Mississippi volunteered by doing unskilled labor.

Bob Beech's second priority was to provide college funds to Dahmer's school-aged children. The authorities indicted fourteen men. Most of them had Ku Klux Klan connections, so they could be tried for the attack on the Dahmers' home. Thirteen of the men were brought to trial; eight of them were brought to trial on arson and murder charges. Four of those tried were found guilty.

Forego a bottle of soda and donate its cost to us for the information you just learned, and feel good about helping to make it available to everyone. Your donation is fully tax-deductible. Martin Jr. Skip to content Vernon Dahmer in his cotton field, September Arrington, D.