After Words with Harry MacLean

Harry Maclean talked about his book The Past Is Never Dead: The Trial of James Ford Seale and Mississippi’s Struggle for Redemption (Basic Civitas Books; September 22, 2009). In his book he recounts the murder case against Klansman James Ford Seale. Mr. Maclean recalls the death of Henry Dee and Charles Moore, two young black men who were kidnapped and killed after hitchhiking outside Meadville, Mississippi, on May 2, 1964. The case was left unsolved for over forty years, until the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) indicted James Ford Seale in 2007, then seventy-one years old, for the kidnapping and murder. Mr. Maclean explores the reasons for the delay in convicting Mr. Seale and presents his thoughts on the former and current state of race relations in Mississippi. The guest interviewer was Richard Howorth, owner of Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi, where the interview took place. Mr. Maclean also responded to questions from members of the audience.

Harry Maclean is the author of Once Upon a Time and In Broad Daylight that was the recipient of the Edgar Award for Best True Crime. Mr. Maclean has served as first assistant attorney general of Colorado and general counsel of the Peace Corp.

Richard Howorth is the owner of Square Books in Oxford, Missisippi, which he and his wife, Lisa, opened in 1979. Mr. Howorth served two terms as the mayor of Oxford, Mississippi. close