Defendants were charged with conspiracy to injure three men in exercise of right not to be deprived of life or liberty without due process of law by persons acting under color of laws of state and with willfully subjecting the three men to deprivation of their right, not to be summarily punished without due process of law by persons acting under color of laws of state. The United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi dismissed in part the indictments and direct appeals were taken. The Supreme Court, Mr. Justice Fortas, held that, if release of three men from county jail, interception of them on highway and assault and murder of them was joint activity of state officers and nonofficial defendants, nonofficial defendants were acting under color of law in violation of statute and that indictment alleging that sheriff, deputy sheriff and patrolmen, under color of law, participated in conspiracy to punish three persons in custody in county jail without due process of law alleged state action bringing conspiracy within ambit of Fourteenth Amendment.