how long did the second set of scottsboro trials last

Norris returns to jail in October 1944 and Wright in October 1946. He denied participating in the fight or being in the gondola car where the fight took place. Attorney General Knight warned Price to "keep your temper. June: The sentences given to Norris, Andy Wright, and Weems are affirmed by the Alabama Supreme Court. Wright wore street clothes. Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window), Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window), Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window), Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window), Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window), https://www.history.com/topics/great-depression/scottsboro-boys. Scottsboro's jail. A mistrial was declared, and Leroy Wright would remain in prison until 1937 awaiting the final verdict on his co-defendants. The motion was denied. The defense moved for another change of venue, submitting affidavits in which hundreds of residents stated their intense dislike for the defendants, to show there was "overwhelming prejudice" against them. Powell, Roberson, Williams, Montgomery and Wright trial, United States Supreme Court reverses Decatur convictions, Douglas O. Linder, "Without Fear or Favor: Judge James Edwin Horton and the Trial of the 'Scottsville Boys. He was paroled and returned to prison after violating parole. Price in ", Ruby Bates was apparently too sick to travel. Finally, he defended the women, "Instead of painting their faces they were brave enough to go to Chattanooga and look for honest work. [97][103], Lester Carter took the stand for the defense. Michigan's Leibowitz asked her whether she had spent the evening in a "hobo jungle" in Huntsville, Alabama, with a Lester Carter and Jack Tiller, but she denied it. Stand your ground, show you are a man, a red-blooded he-man. "[56], Anderson noted that, as the punishment for rape ranged between ten years and death, some of the teenagers should have been found "less culpable than others", and therefore should have received lighter sentences. Callahan limited each side to two hours of argument. Soon after, two white women, Victoria Price, and Ruby Bates charge the young men with rape. convictions. He instructed them, "Where the woman charged to have been raped is white, there is a strong presumption under the law that she will not and did not yield voluntarily to intercourse with the defendant, a Negro. Powell. In 1936, Ozie Powell was involved in an altercation with a guard and shot in the face, suffering permanent brain damage. Ruby Bates failed to mention that either she or Price were raped until she was cross-examined. After escaping from prison in 1948, Patterson was picked up in Detroit by the FBI, but the Michigan governor refused Alabamas efforts to extradite him. 16. Although the motion was denied, this got the issue in the record for future appeals. [55] About the courtroom outburst, Justice Anderson noted that "there was great applause and this was bound to have influence. to 75 years in prison. Alabama Supreme Court, by a vote of 6-1, affirms the their paroles. [98] She said they raped her and Bates, afterward saying they would take them north or throw them in the river. She was not the first witness to be evasive, sarcastic and crude. [73], The prosecution withdrew the testimony of Dr. Marvin Lynch, the other examining doctor, as "repetitive." Supreme Court. [80], With his eye turned to the southern jury, Knight cross-examined her. Weems, [49] The ILD retained attorneys George W. Chamlee, who filed the first motions, and Joseph Brodsky. How long did the second set of trials last? February 15: Leibowitz appears before the Supreme Court of the United States, describing the lack of African-American presence on juries in Jackson County. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/timeline-of-scottsboro-boys-45428. He died in 1989 as the last surviving defendant. (2021, July 29). [108], Judge Callahan charged the jury that Price and Bates could have been raped without force, just by withholding their consent. Alan Blinder, Alabama Pardons 3 Scottsboro Boys After 80 Years, New York Times, November 21, 2013. He escaped from prison in Alabama but was convicted of a different crime in Michigan and died in prison there. They said the problem was with the way Judge Hawkins "immediately hurried to trial. (Credit: AP Photo) Outraged by the Supreme Court's interference, Alabama again put the boys on trial. During the following cross-examination, Knight addressed the witness by his first name, "John." The Trial That Stirred a Movement. Judge Horton refused to grant a new trial, telling the jury to "put [the remarks] out of your minds. He remained in contact with Clarence Norris, Willie Roberson, and the Wright brothers. September: Wright and Norris leave Alabama. "The Scottsboro Boys." The Scottsboro Boys were nine Black teenagers falsely accused of raping two white women aboard a train near Scottsboro, Alabama, in 1931. Did Ory Dobbins frame them? March 30: The nine "Scottsboro Boys" are indicted by a grand jury. This second landmark decision in the Scottsboro Boys case would help integrate future juries across the nation. But others believed they were victims of Jim Crow justice, and the case was covered by numerous national newspapers. The nine, after nearly being lynched, were brought to trial in Scottsboro in April 1931, just three weeks after their arrests. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. Civil rights organizations followed suit, raising money and providing defense for these young men. The Scottsboro Trial: A Timeline Courtesy: Morgan County Archives 1931 March 25: In the depths of the Depression, a fight breaks out between white and black young men who are riding as hoboes on. October: George Wallace, governor of Alabama, pardons Clarence Norris. The first two times that he did so, Leibowitz asked the court to have him alter his behavior. The defense attorney showed that "Mr. Sanford" was evidently qualified in all manner except by virtue of his race to be a candidate for participation in a jury. Governor. Horton "[70] Threats of violence came from the North as well. Private investigations took place, revealing that Price and Bates had been prostitutes in Tennessee, who regularly serviced both black and white clientele. November 20: The cases of the youngest defendants, Roy Wright, and Eugene Williams, are moved to Juvenile Court. Jury Nullification: Definition and Examples, African-American History and Women Timeline (1930-1939), Shocking Moments in 20th Century Black History, Civil Rights Movement Timeline From 1951 to 1959, Profile of Husband Killer Kelly Gissendaner, An Overview of the 'Castle Doctrine' and 'Stand Your Ground' Laws, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), M.S.Ed, Secondary Education, St. John's University, M.F.A., Creative Writing, City College of New York. Haywood Patterson and Clarence Norris are tried for rape, [86], According to one account, juror Irwin Craig held out against the imposition of the death penalty, because he thought that Patterson was innocent.[87]. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. "[102], Closing arguments were made November 29 through November 30, without stopping for Thanksgiving. When he resumed the next morning, he pointed out many contradictions among her various versions of the rape. He said that he had not seen "any white women" until the train "got to Paint Rock. African-American newspapers published news accounts and editorials of the events of the case. 20. 29, 2021, thoughtco.com/timeline-of-scottsboro-boys-45428. The first jury deliberated less than two hours before returning a guilty verdict and imposed the death sentence on both Weems and Norris. The two years that had passed since the first trials had not dampened community hostility for the Scottsboro Boys. So, the Communist Party attorneys came to aid the defendants first.[46]. Finally, she testified she had been in New York City and had decided to return to Alabama to tell the truth, at the urging of Rev. Nor would he allow Leibowitz to ask why she went to Chattanooga, where she had spent the night there, or about Carter or Gilley. He was paroled in New York State in 1950. It is commonly cited as an example of a legal injustice in the United States legal system. Judge Horton called the first case against Haywood Patterson and began jury selection. On cross-examination he testified that he had seen "all but three of those negroes ravish that girl", but then changed his story. Jack Tiller, another white, said he had had sex with Price, two days before the alleged rapes. Alabama Supreme Court upholds the death sentence for [41] Slim Gilley testified that he saw "every one of those five in the gondola,"[42] but did not confirm that he had seen the women raped. Watts moved to have the case sent to the Federal Court as a civil rights case, which Callahan promptly denied. As to representation, the Court found "that the defendants were represented by counsel who thoroughly cross examined the state's witnesses, and presented such evidence as was available. At the trial, some 100 reporters were seated at the press tables. 14. We strive for accuracy and fairness. He said he saw the white teenagers jump off the train. Chief Justice John C. Anderson dissented, agreeing with the defense in many of its motions. 30 days. The black teenagers were: Haywood Patterson (age 18), who claimed that he had ridden freight trains for so long that he could light a cigarette on the top of a moving train; Clarence Norris (age 19), who had left behind ten brothers and sisters in rural Georgia[citation needed]; Charlie Weems (age 19); brothers Andy Wright (age 19) and Roy Wright (age 12), who were leaving home for the first time; the nearly blind Olin Montgomery (age 17), who was hoping to get a job in order to pay for a pair of glasses; Ozie Powell (age 16); Willie Roberson (age 16), who suffered from such severe syphilis that he could barely walk; and Eugene Williams (age 13);[6] Of these nine boys, only four knew each other prior to their arrest. death. In January 1935, the Supreme Court again overturned the guilty verdicts, ruling in Norris v. Alabama that the systematic exclusion of Blacks on Jackson Country jury rolls denied a fair trial to the defendants, and suggesting that the lower courts review Pattersons case as well. [25], Dr. Bridges testified that his examination of Victoria Price found no vaginal tearing (which would have indicated rape) and that she had semen in her for several hours. Charlie She testified that she, Price and Gilley were arrested and that Price made the rape accusation, instructing her to go along with the story to stay out of jail. Court. privacy, their When asked if she had been raped on March 25, 1931, Bates said, "No sir." When she responded that the Communist Party had paid for her clothes, any credibility she had with the jury was destroyed. This astonished (and infuriated) many residents of Alabama and many other Southern states. They told us if we didn't confess they'd kill usgive us to the mob outside. Roy Wright's jury could not agree on sentencing, and was declared a hung jury that afternoon. Alabama Supreme Court affirms the convictions of Haywood at the prison over the next ten years. "[81] As to Wright's reference to "Jew money", Leibowitz said that he was defending the Scottsboro Boys for nothing and was personally paying the expenses of his wife, who had accompanied him. July 20 - 21: Andy Wright's is convicted and sentenced to 99 years. "[55] Justice Anderson also pointed out the failure of the defense to make closing arguments as an example of under zealous defense representation. Both the police officer and Powell survive. is dismissed. In the question of procedural errors, the state Supreme Court found none. Clarence how long did the second set of scottsboro trials last Lynching photography and the 1933 scottsboro trials. A fight broke out, and the black . As news spread of the alleged rape (a highly inflammatory charge given the Jim Crow laws in the South), an angry white mob surrounded the jail, leading the local sheriff to call in the Alabama National Guard to prevent a lynching. January: Andy Wright and Clarence Norris are released on parole. gathered around '"[131], Sheila Washington founded the Scottsboro Boys Museum & Cultural Center in 2010 in Scottsboro. June: Ozie Powell is released from prison on parole. Haywood is charged with murder. [37] The jury quickly convicted Patterson and recommended death by electric chair.[38]. Lee Adams testified that he had seen the fight, but later saying that he was a quarter-mile from the tracks. All articles are regularly reviewed and updated by the HISTORY.com team. As to the "newly discovered evidence", the Court ruled: "There is no contention on the part of the defendants, that they had sexual intercourse with the alleged victim with her consent so the defendants would not be granted a new trial."[53]. They did not contradict themselves in any meaningful way. When, after several hours of reading names, Commissioner Moody finally claimed several names to be of African-Americans,[95] Leibowitz got handwriting samples from all present. He said, "Don't you know these defense witnesses are bought and paid for? When the US Supreme Court agreed to hear the case in 1977, Price disregarded the advice of her lawyer and accepted a settlement from NBC. She said Patterson had fired a shot and ordered all whites but Gilley off the train. [38], Dr. Bridges was the next prosecution witness, repeating his earlier testimony. to He noted her stylish dress and demanded where she had gotten her fine clothes. Roberson, Montgomery, and Powell all denied they had known each other or the other defendants before that day. The ILD spearheaded a national campaign to help free the nine young men, including rallies, speeches, parades and demonstrations. He described himself as a patriot, a "Roosevelt Democrat", who had served the "Stars and Stripes" in World War I, "when there was no talk of Jew or Gentile, white or black. He is granted a new trial. the prosecution asked for life imprisonment. Subjects . Haywood Patterson's second trial begins in Decatur before judge James Horton. [94], Leibowitz led Commissioner Moody and Jackson County Circuit Clerk C.A. Governor Graves denies all pardon applications. Victoria Price never recanted her testimony. [36], Co-defendants Andy Wright, Eugene Williams, and Ozie Powell all testified that they did not see any women on the train. The Supreme Court suggests that lower courts review Patterson's case. people forgot about it. How long did the jury take to re-convict the boys during the third trial? [33] The second trial continued. On July 24, 1937, the state of Alabama dropped all charges against Willie Roberson, Olen Montgomery, Eugene Williams, and Roy Wright. Leibowitz's prompt appeal stayed the execution date, so Patterson and Norris were both returned to death row in Kilby Prison. However, the Scottsboro defendants decided to let the ILD handle their appeal.[2]. [117] Leibowitz chose to keep Norris off the stand. July 24: The rape charges against Olen Montgomery, Willie Roberson, Eugene Williams, and Roy Wright are dropped. Through negotiations with the defense, prosecutors agreed to drop rape charges against Powell, but he was convicted of assaulting the deputy sheriff and sentenced to 20 years. . Chief Justice Anderson's previous dissent was quoted repeatedly in this decision. are added [24], Clarence Norris and Charlie Weems were tried after Haywood Patterson. Daniel Anker and Barak Goodman produced the story of the Scottsboro Boys in the 2001 documentary. The case was assigned to District Judge James Edwin Horton and tried in Morgan County. [98] He denied being a "bought witness", repeating his testimony about armed blacks ordering the white teenagers off the train. The Scottsboro Boys. By the evening, the local newspaper, Jackson County Sentinel calls the rape a "revolting crime.". 30 days. He said that he had found Orville "Carolina Slim" Gilley, the white teenager in the gondola car and that Gilley would corroborate Price's story in full. The trials and repeated retrials of the Scottsboro Boys sparked an international uproar and produced two landmark U.S. Supreme Court verdicts, even as the defendants were forced to spend years battling the courts and enduring the harsh conditions of the Alabama prison system. "[79], Just after the defense rested "with reservations", someone handed Leibowitz a note. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and other civil rights groups joined the ILD that year to form the Scottsboro Defense Committee, which reorganized the defense effort for the next set of retrials. He supplied them with an acquittal form only after the prosecution, fearing reversible error, urged him to do so. Irwin "Red" Craig (died 1970) (nicknamed from the color of his hair) was the sole juror to refuse to impose the death penalty in the retrial of Haywood Patterson, one of the Scottsboro Boys, in what was then the small town of Decatur, Alabama. Her claim, however, is dismissed. 15. "[4] The Court ruled that it would be a great injustice to execute Patterson when Norris would receive a new trial, reasoning that Alabama should have opportunity to reexamine Patterson's case as well. January: The NAACP withdraws from the case after the Scottsboro Boys decide to let the ILD handle their case. Multiple trials were held in which all-white juries found guilty Charlie Weems, Ozzie Powell, Clarence Norris, Olen Montgomery . Governor Robert J. Bentley said to the press that day: While we could not take back what happened to the Scottsboro Boys 80 years ago, we found a way to make it right moving forward. It was as if the exclusion was so ordinary as to be unconscious. In March of 1931, nine young African-American men were accused of raping two white women on a train. "[29] The defense made no closing argument, nor did it address the sentencing of the death penalty for their clients. [31] Other witnesses testified that "the negroes" had gotten out of the same gondola car as Price and Bates; a farmer claimed to have seen white women [on the train] with the black youths. [66] The defense had what she had said before under oath on paper, and could confront her with any inconsistencies. Alabama does not continue its attempts to return Patterson to prison. Many years later, Judge Horton said that Dr. Lynch confided that the women had not been raped and had laughed when he examined them. Knight continued, "We all have a passion, all men in this courtroom to protect the womanhood in Alabama. because African Americans were excluded from sitting on the Alabama Pardon Board declines to pardon Patterson and there would be many more trials of the Scottsboro defendants over the years and each . April 18: Judge Horton suspends Patterson's death sentence after a motion for a new trial. After a demonstration in Harlem, the Communist Party USA took an interest in the Scottsboro case. Washington Horton also postpones the trials of the eight other defendants as racial tensions are high in town. NAACP and International Labor Defense (ILD) battle for the But in March 1932, the Alabama Supreme Court upheld the convictions of seven of the defendants; it granted Williams a new trial, as he was a minor at the time of his conviction. Clarence Norris, Charlie Weems, Haywood Patterson, Olen June 28: In a defense motion for new trials, Leibowitz argues that qualified African-Americans were kept off jury rolls. Chief Justice John C. Anderson dissented, ruling that the defendants had been denied an impartial jury, fair trial, fair sentencing, and effective counsel. She reiterated that neither she nor Price had been raped. . Leibowitz read the rest of Bates' deposition, including her version of what happened on the train. [27], During the defense testimony, defendant Charles Weems testified that he was not part of the fight, that Patterson had the pistol, and that he had not seen the white girls on the train until the train pulled into Paint Rock. race, is "[65] The National Guard posted five men with fixed bayonets in front of Leibowitz's residence that night. May the Lord have mercy on the soul of Ruby Bates. He claimed also to have been on top of the boxcar, and that Clarence Norris had a knife. While waiting for their trials, eight of the nine defendants were held in Kilby Prison. During prosecution testimony, Victoria Price stated that she and Ruby Bates witnessed the fight, that one of the black men had a gun, and that they all raped her at knifepoint. Leibowitz called John Sanford, an African-American of Scottsboro, who was educated, well-spoken, and respected. "Famous Trials" first appeared on the Web in 1995, making this site older than about 99.97% of all websites. In the first set of trials in April 1931, an all-white, all-male jury quickly convicted the Scottsboro Boys and sentenced eight of them to death. With prominent defense attorney Samuel Leibowitz arguing the case for the ILD, the Alabama Supreme Court unanimously denied the defenses motion for new trials, and the case headed for a second hearing in front of the U.S. Supreme Court. ), Leibowitz called local black professionals as witnesses to show they were qualified for jury service. Wright. It upheld seven of eight rulings from the lower court. He remained in contact with Clarence Norris for a few years and planned on Norris reuniting with younger brother Roy, but after Roy's death, Norris never saw Andy again. reports 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. [21][22] Local circuit judge Alfred E. Hawkins[23] found that the crowd was curious and not hostile. Lots bigger. What did Haywood Patterson say caused the fight on the train? death of [80], Bates admitted having intercourse with Lester Carter in the Huntsville railway yards two days before making accusations. Chamlee moved for new trials for all defendants. "[81], Leibowitz objected and moved for a new trial. Who was Samuel Leibowitz's last witness on the stand? The defense team argued that their clients had not had adequate representation, had insufficient time for counsel to prepare their cases, had their juries intimidated by the crowd, and finally, that it was unconstitutional for blacks to have been excluded from the jury. Scottsboro Graves. Bates explained that Price had said, "she didn't care if all the Negroes in Alabama were put in jail." Thus far in the trial, Ruby Bates had been notably absent. death boys are arrested on charges of assault. Executions are stayed pending appeal to Alabama Supreme Two men escaped, were later charged with other crimes and convicted, and sent back to prison. "[60], Leibowitz called the editor of the Scottsboro weekly newspaper, who testified that he'd never heard of a black juror in Decatur because "they all steal. Why did the boys get a second set of trials? . His family planned on him going to Seminary school, but whether this happened is not certain. Alabama. "[125], After the case was remanded, on May 1, 1935, Victoria Price swore new rape complaints against the defendants as the sole complaining witness. [96] She testified that she had fallen while getting out of the gondola car, passed out, and came to seated in a store at Paint Rock. Ruby Bates took the stand, identifying all five defendants as among the 12 entering the gondola car, putting off the whites, and "ravishing" her and Price. When the jury returned its verdict from the first trial, the jury from the second trial was taken out of the courtroom. Scottsboro [97] She said the negros had ripped her clothes off and repeatedly raped her at knifepoint, and pointed out Patterson as one of the rapists. grants a convicted, The Scottsboro Defense Committee is organized. Lewis, Femi. In 2013, the state of Alabama issued posthumous pardons for Patterson, Weems, and Andy Wright. "[66] Leibowitz later conceded that Price was "one of the toughest witnesses he ever cross examined. 30 days. Ozzie Powell is shot in the head by Sheriff Jay Sandlin attacking Wallace. The defense called the only witnesses they had had time to find the defendants. Chattanooga Party member James Allen edited the Communist Southern Worker, and publicized "the plight of the boys".

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