College Civil Rights Worker Jailed; Charged With 'Intimidation' in Miss.

Claude L. Weaver '65, of Dunster House and Atlanta, Ga., is being held in a Mississippi jail for the second time in two months on a charge resulting from his participation in civil rights activities sponsored by the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).

Weaver and a co-worker, Edward Hollander of Baltimore, were arrested in Canton, Miss., a week ago for allegedly "conspiring to intimidate a family." Mrs. Charlean Smith, of Canton, claimed that Weaver and his companion verbally threatened the safety of her six-year-old child if she continued to patronize a local merchant who allegedly discriminates against Negroes.

Hollander was tried yesterday. He was found guilty and sentenced to six months in jail and a $500 fine. Weaver will be tried next Monday; his ball has been set at $500, but must be paid in the form of a property or surety bond, rather than cash.

George Raymond, director of SNCC's Canton project, said last night that the charges against Weaver and Hollander are completely false. He claimed that Mrs. Smith was bribed by local authorities to testify against Weaver and Hollander. "The white community tries to prevent us from making progress by seeking to discredit us among our own people," he said.

SNCC and CORE, the Congress of Racial Equality, are conducting a comprehensive civil rights program in Canton which includes selective patronage, voter registration, and the establishment of a community center for Negroes.