THE SOUTH: The True Face of Clinton

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"Come Out & Fight." Back at Clinton high school, a 13-year-old white boy was expelled for elbowing a Negro girl in the corridor. A little later, two toughs barged into the school, ordered a white student to lead them to "where the niggers are." Home-economics Teacher Clarice Brittain, wife of Principal D. J. Brittain Jr., appeared in the hallway. The roughnecks bolted for the nearest exit, jostling Mrs. Brittain and—once safely outside—daring her to "come out and fight." Completely unnerved, Principal Brittain consulted with members of the school board, announced: "The school is being closed because of lawlessness and disorder."

At that point, the segregationists clearly were carrying Clinton's critical day. But they had won only a skirmish.

Within hours after the violence had erupted, U.S. Attorney General Herbert Brownell Jr. ordered an FBI roundup of Clinton's segregationist leaders. Next day 16 of them (including White Citizens Council Leader W. H. Till and hate-spouting, part-time Preacher Alonzo Bullock) were arrested on contempt-of-court charges. At Clinton high school, shortly after it was closed, about 50 students met with Jerry Shattuck, 17, student-council president and football captain, and called for compliance "with the Federal Court order to provide an education for all the citizens of Anderson County who desire it."

And within minutes of the attack on the Rev. Paul Turner, a remarkable thing happened: the good people of Clinton, Tenn. began trooping to the polls in record numbers. Recording their disgust, they swamped all segregationist-backed candidates by margins of nearly three to one, elected as mayor coolheaded, fairminded Judge T. Lawrence Seeber, 58. This, far more than the ugly face of the mob, was the true Clinton. In it lay hope for the South.