Eye for an Eye: The Role of Armed Resistance ... - Freedom Archives

U.S . Constitution [including the Second Amendment, right to bear arms)" and to
"protect property." As an organization chartered by the state, the Sportsmen Club
was authorized to function anywhere in Mississippi . The Sportsmen Club charter
was extended to other Mississippi Deacons groups in Wilkerson, Clairborne, and
Copiah counties .'$
Just like the Deacons in Louisiana, the Natchez Deacons never revealed
how big their membership was . This kept the Klan, local police and the FBI
confused about the actual size and capability of the group . Organized much like a
secret society, the Deacons realized the least their enemies knew about them the
better. James Young, who joined shortly after the attack on Metcalf, revealed the
Natchez Deacons actual size was about ten to twelve men . As in Jonesboro and
Bogalusa, a few central leaders were identified to represent the Deacons to the
public . James Stokes was appointed spokesman . James Jackson was the fast
president of the Natchez Deacons . James Young was selected secretary and was
responsible for the development of the by-laws and the charter for the Deacons
and the Sportsmen Club . According to Stokes "The strongest thing we had going
for ourselves is that nobody knew, not even some of our members, how many men
there were in the organization . . ." The Deacons concealing their size served as a
weapon to instill doubt and concern in white supremacists since they really didn't
know what to expect from the Natchez para-military group'9
Even Movement folks outside of the Deacons were privy to the identities
of the entire Deacon membership . SNCC activist Hollis Watkins remembered:
It was a situation where none of us knew all of them and in many