Harvard Student Among 13 Arrested In McComb During 'Freedom Vote'

A Harvard senior and 12 other civil rights workers were arrested yesterday in McComb, Miss. as Mississippi's "Freedom Vote" project began.

Marshall Ganz '65 and his colleagues were charged with operating a "food-handling establishment" without complying with state health regulations.

The 13, all of whom were working for the Council of Federated Organizations (COFO) during the Freedom Vote, were charged with serving food to McComb citizens in "Freedom House"--COFO headquarters in McComb. Bail on the 13 was set at $100 each.

In the Freedom Vote, sponsored by COFO, Mississippi Negroes will cast ballots for United States Senator, choosing between Sen. John Stennis (D-Miss.) and Aaron Henry, head of the state NAACP. 80,000 voters are expected to take part in the "election."

Also in McComb, the Associated Press reported that nine men were given suspended sentences after they pleaded guilty to charges of involvement in racial bombings this summer.

Warning the men to steer clear of any further racial clashes, Pike County Circuit Judge W. H. Watkins Jr. said he suspended the sentences because the men were "mostly young; all came from good families who were shocked at their involvement; and deserved another chance."