I am doing research on some African Americans and can't seem to find anything about Lt. Col. Lemuel Penn. I know that he was murdered by members of the Ku Klux Klan while driving home from U.S. Army Reserve training. What I need to know about him (and what I can't find anywhere) is: why he was killed. Can anyone help me with this?

This may help explain it

In some communities, history is in danger of disappearing altogether. In Madison County, Ga., a white woman named Dena Chandler was haunted by a story she remembered from childhood, of a black veteran and Army reservist named Lemuel Penn who was killed by Klansmen on his way home from Fort Benning on July 11, 1964. The suspects were acquitted by an all-white jury.
When Ms. Chandler looked for more information, she found that a book about the case had been repeatedly stolen from local libraries. "A lot of people had forgotten about Lemuel Penn," she said. "And a lot of the younger people - and this is what really disturbed me - had never heard of him. That death shaped their world in ways that they don't know and don't understand unless they know about it."
Together with a black preacher and his wife, Ms. Chandler organized a gospel concert that raised enough money for a historical marker. The group is also trying to have Highway 172 renamed in Colonel Penn's honor

Hi, Dena here, for some good links, look at
www.anothervoicefromoconeecounty.com,* the Jan.14, 2005 issue. Lt. Col. Penn was shot to death because he was black and had out-of-state tags on his car. That's it, pure and simple. He and 2 fellow officers drove through Athens, Ga. late at night on their way back home to Washington, D.C. Some Athens Klansmen saw them (probably when they pulled over to change drivers), followed them 20 miles to the Broad River Bridge in Madison County, pulled alongside and fired sawed-off shotguns into the back and front seats. Penn, the driver, was killed. John Howard and Charlie Brown lived to get the car under control and avoid going into the river. It was the week after President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act and 2 weeks after the 3 civil rights workers went missing in Mississippi. Terrible times.

*Edited to correct faulty link

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Karrow,

quote:

Originally posted by dee watkins:
Hi, Dena here,

As in Dena Chandler from Frank's above link?

Welcome!

Yes, the same. I signed up on answerpool just to answer the above question. It popped up when I was doing one of my many internet searches, preparatory to sending off all the paperwork the Georgia Historic Society needs to okay a historic marker. The book about the case is by Bill Shipp, but it's out of print, so it's very expensive, and not many people get to read it.

I am interested in finding out more about Lemuel Penn as well. Any more links? And how can I contact Dena Chandler?
Thanks ...
Rebecca

I was married to Lt Col. Penn's son, Lemuel Jr. He is a captain for United Airlines and I'm sure he can be located if you are truly interested in getting your answers. There is so much to this that has not been told. I pray one day that it all gets out. Lt. Col Penn was a wonderful man and father.

A number of links can be found simply by typing "Lemuel Penn" (with the quotation marks) into a google search.

Here is some information on Lt. Colonel Penn, who is buried at Arlington National Cemetary.

He is also included among the forty names on the Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery, Alabama.


Lt. Colonel Lemuel Penn