You've probably already heard of how a former Klansman has been arrested for the deaths of two Mississippi teens back in the heyday of Klansmen killings.

But, as you know, we want you to feel super informed, and while this isn't terribly tricky, we thought we'd offer up some resources as well as some interesting facts so you sound all smart at the bar or at a party this weekend.

The basic story: James Seale, now 71, was long thought to be the guy who kidnapped and killed Henry Hezekiah Dee and Charles Eddie Moore, two black 19-year-olds hitchhiking along U.S. 84 just outside Meadville, Miss., near an ice cream stand on May 2, 1964. A Volkswagen stopped, picked up the pair, and drove down a dirt road into the woods of Homochitto National Forest.

There Klu Klux Klan members -- reportedly Seale and his cousin Charles Edwards -- tied Dee and Moore to trees, whipping them with beanpoles. After some time, members unknotted the ropes, and the teens, barely alive, were then bound with tape, weighted down with a Jeep engine block and weights from a nearby railroad, and drowned in a nearby river, where their bodies were found several months later.

This was the summer the world -- led by iconic newsman Dan Rather -- turned to Mississippi for another reason. Three young civil rights workers were killed during what is now called "Freedom Summer." The murders of the three workers -- which attracted a huge amount of mainstream media attention -- were later portrayed in Mississippi Burning. The murders of Dee and Moore went largely unnoticed.

Shortly after the funerals, both Seale and Edwards were arrested for the deaths, with Edwards telling FBI agents the teens were alive when they left them. According to an FBI report, an agent said to Seale: "You didn't even give them a decent burial. We know you did it, you konw you did it, the Lord above knows you did it."

"Yes, but I'm not going to admit it," Seale reportedly said. "You are going to have to prove it."

The FBI turned to case over to local uthorities, who almost immediately dropped it. Seale's grandfather was a former sheriff in the county, and both men were fairly respected.

But the families of the victims, and especially Moore's older brother Thomas, continued to pray for justice, occasionally giving interviews to newspaper and television reporters, including Connie Chung in 1999. In 2005, a Canadian documentary group CBC sought out Thomas Moore, wanting the Vietnam Veteran to participate in an upcoming documentary on the Civil Rights-era deaths in Mississippi. On the urging of documentary director David Ridgen and Thomas Moore, the FBI reopened the case. In July 2005, Moore sought out Edwards, the man he felt sure killed his brother.

From a USA Today story, which is pretty well-done: "As a deacon at Bunkley Baptist Church, Charles Marcus Edwards was responsible for opening up for Sunday school. And so on that sultry Mississippi morning, he and his wife were the first to arrive at the tiny brick chapel.

"A minivan pulled into the gravel drive behind them. A black man got out of the van and approached, followed by a younger white man carrying a video camera. Betty Edwards gave them a friendly wave.

"'Mr. Edwards,' the black man said, extending a hand with a sealed manila envelope. 'I have something for you, sir.'

"'What is this?' the 72-year-old deacon asked, bemused.

"Inside were pages from an unfinished story.

"The nine sheets, copied from a 42-year-old FBI file, told a tale of Ku Klux Klansmen and secret codes and terror. They told, in gruesome detail, of the kidnap, torture and slaying of two black men - Henry Hezekiah Dee and Charles Eddie Moore.

"Edwards limped quickly toward the church and climbed the three steps. At the top, he stopped and turned.

"'What's your name, fella?' the elderly white man asked.

"'My name is Moore,' the stranger replied. 'Thomas James Moore.'

"The reputed former Klansman moved to enter the sanctuary, then paused and turned again.

"'I'm going to tell you, fella,' he said, gesturing down at Moore with the church keys in one hand and his Bible clutched in the other. 'I DID not kill your brother. I didn't have, I didn't have anything to do with that.'

"As Edwards disappeared inside the darkened church, his wife jiggled the door handle to make sure it was locked, then slammed it behind her. As the cameraman filmed, Moore walked back to the van, a satisfied grin on his face.

"The old man hadn't confessed. But tucked under his arm, along with the black-covered Bible, was the manila envelope, with those chilling documents for the deacon to ponder.

"The Sunday morning drama, which happened last year, would become a turning point in the quest for justice in the long-dormant Dee and Moore killings.

"Just this week, another document was added in the case: a three-count federal indictment."

Long thought dead, Seale was very much alive and still living in Meadsville. During an award-winning Clarion Ledger series on the 'Mississippi Burning' deaths -- which later resulted in an arrest and conviction -- a reporter sought out Seale, asking him if he had any connection to the murders.

Seale replied, "I ain't in jail, am I?"

At the time this was written, Seale was still being held. Charles Edwards has not been arrested in connection to this case, and is reported to be cooperating with police. This is one of nearly two dozen arrests in recent years for crimes committed during the Civil Rights' era.


We recommend your checking out the Clarion Ledger for updates on this story. Already in Mississippi with an award-winning background on coverage of post-Civil Rights stories, they do a great job of providing background and context for these sorts of stories. We have no connection to the paper; we just like the way they cover this sort of thing.