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FO-380 (Rev. 5-8-61) (Monant Clogng ni Scace Ceiow) The Associated Press : JACKSON, Miss. — A former Klansman now living in Sevierville says he fears for him- ‘sélfand his family if he testifies against a white — supremacist accused of killing NAACP leader Medgar Evers in Jackson 28 years ago. In a May 2 letter to Hinds County prosecu- tors, Delmar Dennis said he won't testify against Byron De La Beckwith. ; He also wrote that he is weary of dealing with constant publicity about the case. “We all feel that we have suffered enough for my stand and nobody gave a damn, so there is no point in taking further risks,” Dennis, 51, “wrote. ~ He said he would become a potential target of white supremacists known as “Phinehas priests,” who consider themselves God's exe- cutioners. : “You don’t know when they're going to Strike. They’re not going to warn you,” Dennis said in an interview this week. “Nothing is quite so dangerous as a religious fanatic who Ex-Klansman won’t testify against Beckwith a (Indicate COQ@. Fame of RewSSaOer, City ang stare} OXVILLE JOURNAL OXVILLE, tw Oate: Friday, 5/24/91 Edinon: AGE; 8A Tite Character: Supmitang Cfice: Cusstcasom © 7: thinks he’s doing the Lord's will.” Dennis operates a small publishing house in Sevierville. Hinds County Assistant District Attorney Bobby DeLaughter wouldn’t comment Thurs- day on Dennis’ letter. Last May, Dennis provided prosecutors with a break in Teopening the Evers slaying investigation. He told how he had heard Beck- with brag at an Aug. 8, 1965, Klan rally near Jackson about the killing. An indictment Dec. 14 charges Beckwith, 70, with murder. Beckwith, of Signal Mountain, Tenn., remains jailed in Chattanooga. He is fighting extradition to Mississippi. Evers’ widow, Myrlie, said Dennis’ decision was upsetting. “I would hope witnesses would ... have the strength to come forward with the truth in pursuit of justice in this case,” she said. Beckwith’s wife, Thelma, said Thursday night Dennis “is dangerous ... He’s guilty of ly- Beckwith “is going to come out on top. Ev- erybody loves him,” she said. Evers, field director for the state NAACP, was shot to death June 12, 1963, outside his Jackson home. Beckwith was tried twice in 1964 for mur- der, but both trials ended when all-white juries deadlocked. He would face a life sentence if convicted, The Phinehas priesthood is glowingly de- scribed in a 1990 book Vigilantes of Christén- Hoskins compares members to Japanese kamikaze pilots of World War IL The book holds up as a hero the Biblical character of Phinehas, Moses’ great-nephew, who killed a couple Hoskins maintains were Guilty of “race mixing.” Hoskins, who publishes a monthly newslet- ter catering to white supremacists, could not be reached for comment Thursday. dom by Richard Kelly Hoskins of Lytichburg? ° Va. 7 ot ee wee ce 2S wegen ne KNOXVILLE DIVISION