Defense lawyers claimed that the initial confessions were forced by the local sheriff. THIS is the harrowing moment vengeful villagers burned to death the alleged ringleader of a violent gang they say had been terrorising them for months. [2], Judge Kennon Whittle told the attorneys: "this case must and will be tried in such a way as not to disturb the kindly feeling now, locally, existing between the races. Their trials and the electrocutions became a cause clbre similar to the Scottsboro Case of the 1930s. Hampton said he, Howard Hairston, Booker T. Millner and Frank Hairston Jr., were drinking wine near some railroad tracks that Saturday night. Please subscribe to keep reading. On January 30, 1951, 400 protesters arrived in Richmond, appealing to Battle on the issue of racial disparity in sentencing. Four of the men were executed in Virginia's electric chair on February 2, 1951. On the evening of January 8, 1949, Ruby Stroud Floyd accused 13 black men of raping her while she passed through a poor African American neighborhood in Martinsville, Virginia . Persons: howard lee hairston, ruby stroud floyd , liz ryan, frank hairston, james grayson, annie hobson, booker t millner, john battle, mary wade, ruby floyd, james hairston, james luther hairston, frank hairston jr, joe henry hampton. U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007, North Carolina, U.S., Death Indexes, 1908-2004, U.S., Newspapers.com Obituary Index, 1800s-current, U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014, Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. He and his older brother (below) were not related to Frank Hairston Jr. Francis DeSales Grayson, age 38 and of Richmond, Virginia, denied having sex with Floyd; only defendant without local ties. Year should not be greater than current year. Any monthly plan. Martin and his uncle later testified that the uncle warned Floyd not to make the trip in the dark. To protect them from mob violence, they took them to other jails outside Henry County. After the convictions, the seven were represented by Richmond-area civil-rights lawyers Martin A. Martin, Samuel W. Tucker, Roland D. Ealey and Oliver W. Hill, and others. In their appeals, Martin and the NAACP discussed the unfairness of the venue, the pressure on later juries to arrive at the same sentence as the earlier ones, and the historical racial disparities in application of death penalty sentences in the state. The low IQ low life disregard they are the biggest killers of themselves. All seven men were convicted and sentenced to death within eight days. During the eleven-day trials, juries heard testimonies from both sides, including medical evidence of Floyds physical injuries and accounts from black witnesses whom Floyd appealed to for help after the assault. Oops, some error occurred while uploading your photo(s). Reached by telephone, she said her family will not talk about her grandfather or what happened. Northam said some of the defendants were impaired at the time of their arrests or unable to read confessions they signed. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. As the final execution dates of Feb. 2 and Feb. 5, 1951, approached the governor's office was flooded with thousands of telegrams, including one from Moscow, asking that the men not be executed. [2], The trials were held back to back, each with a separate jury of twelve white men. From 1908 when Virginia began using the electric chair to 1951, state records show that all 45 people executed for rape were Black, he said. Floyd did not know where the woman lived, so she enlisted the help of 11-year-old Charlie Martin, son of a "colored" woman she knew, to guide her. The "Martinsville Seven," as the men became known, were all convicted of raping 32-year-old Ruby Stroud Floyd, a white woman who had gone to a predominantly Black neighbourhood in Martinsville, Va., on Jan. 8, 1949, to collect money for clothes she had sold. "A white lady and a little colored boy came by and the lady asked where Ruth Pettie lived we all planned to get her when she came back.". SHELBY- Annie "Ruby" Raines Stroud, 89, of 329 Reece Road, Shelby, departed this life on April 11, 2015, at Hospice of Wendover. The last to be arrested, Joe Hampton, was taken into custody on January 10. All but one man were in their early 20s. Please reset your password. Your donation is fully tax-deductible. "This was the Jim Crow South; this was prior to the civil-rights movement why would she be there," she asked. or don't show this againI am good at figuring things out. Although the defense attorneys pointed out mitigating circumstances, the juries quickly convicted each defendant and sentenced them to execution in the electric chair. 0 cemeteries found in Duplin County, North Carolina, USA. Still, preparations for the executions proceeded. / CBS/AP. She also had abrasions on her elbows, forearms, knees, lower legs and thighs. He further stated, "We all deserve a criminal justice system that is fair, equal, and gets it rightno matter who you are or what you look like. ", Hodge-Muse says, "This community does not have a hateful attitude that would lend itself to violence that's not our culture, and I think it speaks well of the black and white community that we have never had that type of meanness.". Suggest Edits Toggle Dropdown. Martin A. Martin and other NAACP attorneys defended the men on appeals, attempting to ensure fair trials, set due process precedents, and gain clemency or sentence reductions. Virginia law authorized capital punishment for accessories, parties to the act of rape who did not take part in the act. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. It's even worse than that. Do I see a pattern here? One telegram from Moscow was signed by "workers in science, literature, the arts," including composers Dmitri Shostakovich and Sergei Prokofiev. All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. The first four were executed at 15-minute intervals on February 2. Deputies in Davidson County rushed to help a 69-year-old man they'd found unresponsive in his house following a welfare check. In advance of a large planned CRC demonstration in the state capital, Governor Battle doubled the capital guard and alerted the state militia. It was not until a 1977 Georgia case that the U.S. Supreme Court ended death sentences for rape, but because the death penalty was a "grossly disproportionate" punishment for rape, and not on the basis of race. On the evening of January 8, 1949, a 32-year-old White woman, Ruby Stroud Floyd accused 13 Black men of raping her while she had gone to a predominantly Black neighborhood in Martinsville . ), As far as Hodge-Muse and many others are concerned, the case "was just such an evil miscarriage of justice.". Previous actions by civil rights attorneys had resulted in changes in the Virginia process, improving their procedures. All they are celebrating is the dismantling of White laws, laws which have held . For a PDF of this 8 x 11, one-sided, flyer, see washingtonspark.files.wordpress.com/2019/12/1950-11-08-ma For more information and related images, see flic.kr/s/aHsjWUExj5. In March, Northam, a Democrat, signed legislation passed by the Democrat-controlled legislature abolishing the state's death penalty. Thanks for your help! The seven executed were all workers. The CRC focused on producing pamphlets and publicity for outside campaigns to raise awareness about the case, including internationally, and hoped to put pressure on government officials. Virginia Governor Ralph Northam granted posthumous pardons Tuesday to seven Black men who were executed in 1951 for the rape of a White woman, in a case that attracted pleas for mercy from around the world and in recent years has been denounced as an example of racial disparity in the use of the death penalty. First arrested for the crime was Frank Hairston, Jr. and Booker T. Millner, and soon James Luther Hairston, Howard Lee Hairston, John Clabon Taylor, Francis DeSales Grayson, then James Henry Hampton were gathered as additional suspects. Together representatives, both black and white, of the CRC and NAACP, as well as other citizens, met with Battle in June 1950 to appeal for a pardon or clemency for the defendants in the case. For the first time, records were kept at a central location. All they are celebrating is the dismantling of White laws, laws which have held the civilised West together like glue, that once gone will herald the arrival of a new singular law, the law of the jungle the only law niggers know, and which can be perfectly summed up by Crowleys satanic epithet do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law. The mass executions were the largest in Virginia in modern times. Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. Records unavailable at the time of the Martinsville Seven appeals show that from 1626 until 1908, at least three whites and 99 blacks were hanged for rape or attempted rape in Virginia. You may not upload any more photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 20 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 5 photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 30 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 15 photos to this memorial. The Civil Rights Congress defended the men originally, and later conducted two marches and other attempts to raise awareness and conduct a public campaign on behalf of their agenda. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}, Independent Contractor (Newspaper Carrier), Virginia railroad union says safety concerns have been rising amid cost-saving moves, Nebraska cheerleader competes by herself at state competition, but crowd doesn't let her feel alone, Spotsylvania Sheriff's Office ends affiliation with Reelz TV show 'On Patrol: Live', Former Virginia basketball coach Terry Holland dies after battling Alzheimer's. The Martinsville 7 Project, according to their website, seeks to highlight the case, share their stories, collect and post records related to the case, and promote the pardon request. Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option. 10 free downloads. Your email address will not be published. This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. Howard Lee Hairston, age 20, denied having sex with Floyd. It is a filthy, sick crime," Hodge-Muse said. Now they've been pardoned | CNN, Shocking moment thief is burned to death by villagers who say he led a violent gang. To use this feature, use a newer browser. [7] From 1908 to 1951, only Texas, North Carolina and Georgia executed more black men for rape than did Virginia. At the time, all 45 men executed for rape in Virginia since the state began using the electric chair in 1908 were blacks convicted of attacking white women. After a long legal battle led by the NAACP and a grassroots campaign led by the Civil Rights Congress, the seven were executed in 1951 on February 2nd and February 5th. The mass executions were the largest in Virginia in modern times. The NAACP appeals also noted that since Virginia started use of the electric chair, only black men had been executed for rape in the state for what was a non-lethal crime. View Source. Floyd identified two of her rapists as Grayson and Hampton, but she could not identify the others. Residents warned her not to stay too long, noting the time as late afternoon. And will be dearly missed by family, friends, and everyone. Why the Crusade on the Martinsville Seven: 1950. washingtonspark.files.wordpress.com/2019/12/1950-11-08-ma Martinsville 7 They shall not die: 1950, Martinville 7, subject of death penalty protests, later executed: 1950, Demand No Execution of Martinsville 7: 1951. www.flickr.com/photos/washington_area_spark/sets/72157643 Afro Headlines Martinsville, Va. Mass Executions: 1951, Freezing pickets call for Martinsville 7 clemency: 1951. And the real victim Ruby Stroud Floyd didn't even get a mention from those coon descendants of her rapists ! [2][13] The CRC began to organize mass actions in Richmond. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. The Martinsville 7, seven African American men sentenced to death for the rape of a white woman in Virginia are shown on a flyer published by the Civil Rights Congress in 1950. This is a carousel with slides. The police first arrested Frank Hairston, Jr. and Booker T. Millner, and soon picked up James Luther Hairston, Howard Lee Hairston, John Clabon Taylor, Francis DeSales Grayson, then James Henry Hampton as additional suspects. The email does not appear to be a valid email address. The photographer is unknown. Sorry! Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney, 41, and Brandy Washington tied the knot last week, a year after the couple got engaged. Another, from China, called the sentence a "barbaric" example of American "fascist hooliganism". 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