McDew Blasts Southern Police, Details Terrors of SNCC Drive

"Three of us were sitting in a bedroom, talking. Our calm was shattered by a series of shotgun blasts. Pellets splattered the windows and lined the walls. We appealed to the local sheriff to help. His response: 'boys will be boys.'"

Thus spoke the leader of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) describing the difficulties faced by the committee in Mississippi cities and towns. Charles McDew, Negro chairman of the southern student movement, last night continued his appeal for support from Northern campuses before the College and Law School Democratic Clubs in Harkness Commons.

Cites Numerous Incidents

Efforts of the small group of volunteers to register Negroes in rural areas of the South have caused a "tightening" among the white supremacist, McDew related. The normal race-hatred groups and individuals have the tacit if not the active support of the local law enforcement agencies, he asserted.

Citing numerous incidents when members of his committee were arrested for "inciting to riot" or "breach of the peace," McDew related some rather terrifying personal experiences.

One evening in a small Mississippi town, while helping some students protest their ouster from a segregated high school, McDew and many others were arrested.

Prisoners Run Gauntlet

They were taken to a police station crowded with "interested citizens of the community." The prisoners were led through a double line of roughnecks, and forced to run the gauntlet through the kicking, cursing, spitting throng while the policemen looked on.

McDew complained that the Federal Government was not sufficiently active, although he admitted that the occasional lawsuits entitled "United States V. Mississippi" had a satisfying sound.

Out on $1,000 bail, McDew must appear in court in Mississippi next week. His effort to stimulate interest in the Harvard community has netted the SNCC $1,000 in the past week, according to student supporters.