In order to get more knowledge about the case, we first investigated the life of Wharlest Jackson. We researched his place of birth, upbringing, military service, and family. Two key aspects that made Wharlest Jackson a possible target are his work in the NAACP as a treasurer, his work with voter registration in Mississippi, and for receiving a promotion to a traditionally "white man's job" as a chemical mixer at the Armstrong Runner Company in Natchez, MS. He was murdered three blocks away from his home on Minor St. (present day Martin Luther King St.) on February 18, 1967 by a bomb constructed out of primer cord in a plastic milk jug. He was killed instantly. There was severe backlash against the violence within Natchez. Nobody was charged, until Ray Edgar Killen in 1998. There was no conviction.
After researching the case further, we determined that the Silver Dollar group was more than likely involved. They are one of the most violent klaverns within the Ku Klux Klan. Members carried a silver dollar with the year of their birth on it to establish their membership. They were also supposedly involved (White Dollar Group) in the Ferriday, L.A. murder of Frank Morris and the arson of his shop. However, we were unable to identify any likely members involved in the murder. The Klan was also known to have a large amount of members working at the Armstrong Runner Company, and that Medger Evers, president of the NAACP in Natchez and an employee at Armstrong, was seriously injured by a bomb planted inside his truck, which was parked inside the employee parking lot. The parking lot had an attendant.
The bomb itself was fairly easy to construct. Primer cord is cheap and readily available, even today. It is primarily used for controlled detonation, most commonly for rock faces. The two industries that would have the greatest need for this are construction and oil fields. We investigated oil fields first, due to a tip that Wharlest Jackson's wife received. However, there is very little documentation available on the oil fields, plus very few that were active in 1967 are still operating.
No one has been convicted in this crime, and the murderer is presumed dead. Contact to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Vidalia Chamber of Commerce, and the Natchez Chamber of Commerce has not been returned. We have not been able to identify members of the Silver Dollar Group. The Armstrong Rubber Company is no longer in business. We were, however, able to figure out the workings of the bomb, the fact that Wharlest Jackson did not park in the company parking lot the day he was bombed, and the group presumable responsible for the bombing.
Wharlest Jackson was born on December 7th, 1930 to a religious family in DeLeon, Florida (West of Daytona).
Father was a minister.
In his teens, Jackson joined the military and began fighting on the battlefields of Korea.
In September of 1952, Jackson met a woman named Exerlena on a blind date in Chicago. In February of 1954, the two were married and decided to move to Natchez and state a family.
The two gave birth to five children: four girls and one boy, Wharlest Jr.
The family attended the St. Paul AME ever Sunday after dinner as a family tradition.
He was the bread winner of the family, as he held a job at the Armstrong Tire and Rubber Plant.
The founder, Medger Evers, was shot and killed by Byron DeBeckwith in 1963.
(New information in this case has recently come to life)
Charles Evers, the younger brother, was the main force of the NAACP in the Natchez Chapter.
When attempting to take over his brother's legacy, he was threatened.
Metcalfe was elected President and Jackson as treasurer.
Metcalfe and Jackson were co-workers at the Armstrong Tire Plant.
In August of 1965, around noon, Metcalfe was a victim of a car bombing thought to be related to the working of the most powerful group in the KKK.
The explosion occurred when the ignition switched into gear.
Metcalfe survived, although severely injured, was able to return to work, and at the time carpooled with his colleague, Wharlest Jackson.
The friendship between the two angered many workers, especially those known as the White Knights, a white supremacist group with several members employed at Armstrong.
Wharlest Jackson received a promotion at the Armstrong Tire Company to a chemical mixer, which was considered a "white man's job."
He also received a raise of 17 cents an hour.
He knew the risk he was taking by accepting the job, but Exerlena came down with lupus. Jackson took the job so she could quit her job as a teacher.
Within a month... Jackson was murdered. A bomb was planted in his truck one day while he worked. It detonated three blocks away from his Minor St. home. His son, Wharlest Jr. witnessed the explosion.
The bombing of Metcalfe occurred at the business of Armstrong Tire and Rubber Company in late summer of 1965.
The bombing of Jackson occurred in the winter of 1967, after driving three blocks from Armstrong Tire and Rubber Company.
The car had exploded when it was turned on in the Metcalfe case, whereas the bomb within Jackson's vehicle did not immediately erupt.
The bomb that was made was determined "simply made," requiring only three parts in the Metcalfe bombing; however, there is no tangible information describing the creation of the bomb in the Jackson case.
The bomb was made with a milk carton packed with primer cord, which looks like a cotton rope.
Metcalfe had parked in the lot of the Armstrong factory, whereas Jackson had parked on Minor St. near the plant.
The bombing occurred just after taking the position of president of the NAACP.
Many Klan members wear known to harass the black workers within the plant.
The process of preparing the bomb was determined to take all of 30 seconds; yet, the detectives believe that due to the location of the car, anyone could have seen someone tampering with it.
The members of this deadly group were recognized by the silver dollar which they carried, minted in the year they were born, as a token of their loyalty and membership in the KKK.
In Attack on Terror: The FBI against the KKK in Mississippi, Don Whitehead wrote, "a half a dozen or so Klansmen from the Natchez-Vidalia-Ferriday area...happened to gather one morning in the coffee shop of the Shamrock Motel."
In several articles, it had been stated that detectives believe that the bombings of Metcalfe and Jackson were both workings of the loosely affiliated group.
The Silver Dollar Group is also believed to be involved in the deaths of Frank Morris and "JoEd".
Billy Bob Williams, the agent in charge of handling Metcalfe's case, had contacted a Klansman that was an informant for the Natchez Police Department in attempt to find any clues that might lead to a conviction of the bomber; however, he was unsuccessful.
By the 1960's it was said that a large part of Louisiana and Mississippi was flooded with members of the Ku Klux Klan.
In 1964, journalists made a point to state that, "friends of Jackson and Metcalfe were amongst those who were attacked in 1964" referencing both were acquaintances with Frank Morris. Medger Evers , also a member of the NAACP, was murdered as well.
It was believed that when Jackson and Metcalfe had taken leadership roles in the NAACP, they knew that they were marked men.
Investigators believed that the Silver Dollar Group had involvement. They are known as one of the most violent groups within the Ku Klux Klan.
Another source told Exerlena that the murderer resided in Concordia Parish on the other side of the Mississippi River.
The FBI investigated the case, but after investigating decided that whomever had committed the crime has since died and died and they closed the case.
The case reopened in 1998 and 2005, with the FBI indicting Edgar Ray Killen and Sam Bowers, who they believed were involved. So far neither have been convicted.
Contact Wharlest Jackson Jr. about the case.
Gather more information on the Silver Dollar Group.
Possibly distinct members and other possible Klan involvement.
Find out more on the Armstrong Tire Company.
Investigate who had access to oil fields.
A statement made by Exerlena Jackson, the victim's wife, that the chief suspect had resided in the Concordia Parish and was a "shooter" in the oil fields.
Research the tools or materials used to create the bomb.