2007年VOA标准英语-US Charges Suspect in 1964 Civil Rights Murders

By Jim Malone
Washington
25 January 2007

An elderly white man in the southern state of Mississippi faces federal charges of kidnapping and conspiracy¹ in connection with the 1964 murders of two African-American men.  The case is the latest in a series of prosecutions² brought by the government to solve racially-motivated crimes from the civil rights era of the 1950s and 1960s.  National correspondent Jim Malone has more from Washington. 

Ford3 Seale, 71, a reputed Ku Klux Klansman, is escorted into the federal courthouse by marshals in Jackson, Mississippi" hspace="2" src="/upimg/allimg/070518/0839050.jpg" width="170" vspace="2" border="0" />

James Ford Seale, 71, a reputed Ku Klux Klansman, is escorted into the federal courthouse by marshals in Jackson, Mississippi

The suspect now under arrest is James Seale, 71, from Mississippi.  Prosecutors⁴ say Seale was a reputed member of the white supremacist organization known as the Ku Klux Klan and was part of a group of whites that kidnapped two 19-year-old black men in May of 1964.

The two victims, Henry Dee and Charles Moore, were taken to a nearby forest, tied to a tree and beaten.

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales describes what happened next:

"Dee and Moore were beaten by their captors, then transported and finally forcibly drowned by being thrown into the old Mississippi River, tied to heavy objects that allegedly included an engine block, iron weights and railroad ties," he said.  "These allegations are a painful reminder⁵ of a terrible time in our country, a time when some people viewed their fellow Americans as inferior."

The bodies of the two men were found months later and James Seale and another man were initially⁶ arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation⁷ (FBI), on murder charges in November of 1964.  But local authorities declined to prosecute⁸ the two suspects and the case was dropped.

The case was reopened in 2000 after previously⁹ uncovered documents indicated the murders of the two black men took place on federal land, allowing the FBI and the Justice Department to once again pursue the case.

A brother of one of the victims, Thomas Moore, pressed federal investigators¹⁰ to reopen the case after he found out that the main suspect, James Seale, was still alive.  Seale's family had claimed for years he was dead.

FBI Director Robert Mueller notes that the kidnapping and conspiracy charges against Seale are only allegations at this point that must be proven at trial.

But Mueller says federal officials remain committed to prosecuting¹¹ civil rights era murder cases that have remained unsolved for decades.

"These tragic¹² murders are from among the darkest page of our country's history," he said.  "And while sadly we cannot right the wrongs of the past, we can pursue justice to the end, and we will, no matter how long it takes until every living suspect is called to answer for their crimes."

In recent years, authorities in Mississippi and Alabama have won convictions in several notable civil rights cases from the past including a 1963 church bombing in Alabama that killed four black girls and the 1964 murders of three civil rights workers in Mississippi.

1 conspiracy   

n.阴谋，密谋，共谋

参考例句：

• The men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.这些人被裁决犯有阴谋杀人罪。
• He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him.他声称这一切都是一场针对他的阴谋。

2 prosecutions   

起诉( prosecution的名词复数 )； 原告； 实施； 从事

参考例句：

• It is the duty of the Attorney-General to institute prosecutions. 检察总长负责提起公诉。
• Since World War II, the government has been active in its antitrust prosecutions. 第二次世界大战以来，政府积极地进行着反对托拉斯的检举活动。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

3 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

4 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

5 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。

6 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

7 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

8 prosecute   

vt.告发；进行；vi.告发，起诉，作检察官

参考例句：

• I am trying my best to prosecute my duties.我正在尽力履行我的职责。
• Is there enough evidence to prosecute?有没有起诉的足够证据？

9 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

10 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 prosecuting   

检举、告发某人( prosecute的现在分词 )； 对某人提起公诉； 继续从事（某事物）； 担任控方律师

参考例句：

• The witness was cross-examined by the prosecuting counsel. 证人接受控方律师的盘问。
• Every point made by the prosecuting attorney was telling. 检查官提出的每一点都是有力的。

12 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。