July: Norris' death sentence is commuted to life imprisonment by Governor Graves. June 22: Pending an appeal to the Alabama Supreme Court, the executions of the nine defendants are stayed. and the April 6 - 7: Clarence Norris and Charlie Weems, were placed on trial, convicted and given the death sentence. Who framed them? In 1931, nine young Black men, ages 13 to 21, were arrested and falsely accused of raping two white women aboard a train traveling through Scottsboro en route to Memphis, Tennessee. Judge Callahan did not rule that excluding people by race was constitutional, only that the defendant had not proven that African-Americans had been deliberately excluded. He did not, and this insult eventually caused Leibowitz to leap to his feet saying, "Now listen, Mr. Attorney-General, I've warned you twice about your treatment of my witness. July 23 - 24: Ozie Powell's rape charges are dropped. [116] She said that there were white teenagers riding in the gondola car with them, that some black teenagers came into the car, that a fight broke out, that most of the white teenagers got off the train, and that the blacks "disappeared" until the posse stopped the train at Paint Rock. Samuel Leibowitz was born in 1893, the son of Romanian Jewish immigrants who came to America to escape anti-Semitism. [11] The posse brought the women to the jail where the accused were being held, and they identified them as their attackers. is convicted and sentenced to 99 years for rape. "[103] Bailey attacked the defense case. During the following cross-examination, Knight addressed the witness by his first name, "John." [39] Under cross-examination she gave more detail,[38] adding that someone held a knife to the white teenager, Gilley, during the rapes. [66] When asked if the model in front of her was like the train where she claimed she was raped, Price cracked, "It was bigger. Did brother Hill frame them? While waiting for their trials, eight of the nine defendants were held in Kilby Prison. gruesome Callahan sustained a prosecution objection, ruling "the question is not based on the evidence."[115]. He claimed also to have been on top of the boxcar, and that Clarence Norris had a knife. sleepless 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. The trials of the Scottboro Boys, the two Supreme Court verdicts they produced and the international uproar over their treatment helped fuel the rise of the civil rights movement later in the 20th century, and left a lasting imprint on the nations legal and cultural landscape. While planning a visit with former cellmate Norris, it was discovered by the two men that Roberson died of an asthma attack in 1959, the week prior to their reunion. [17] As the Supreme Court later described this situation, "the proceedings took place in an atmosphere of tense, hostile, and excited public sentiment. Prosecutors got the cases in front of a more sympathetic judge, and both Patterson and Norris were retried, convicted and sentenced to death in late 1933. The following is what happened to each of the nine Scottsboro Boys after 1935: Haywood Patterson was convicted of rape for the fourth time in 1936 and sentenced to 75 years in prison. The other defendants waited in the Jefferson County jail in Birmingham for the outcome of the appeals. [123] He noted that the Court had inspected the jury rolls, chastising Judge Callahan and the Alabama Supreme Court for accepting assertions that black citizens had not been excluded. 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. Price repeated her testimony, adding that the black teenagers split into two groups of six to rape her and Ruby Bates. [21][22] Local circuit judge Alfred E. Hawkins[23] found that the crowd was curious and not hostile. Once when Leibowitz confronted her with a contradiction in her testimony, she exclaimed, sticking a finger in the direction of defendant Patterson, "One thing I will never forget is that one sitting right there raped me. Clarence Norris, the last surviving Scottsboro boy, dies April 9, 1933 : Haywood Patterson found guilty by jury and sentenced to death in . "The Scottsboro Trials" PBS Documentary The. The ILD saw African Americans in the deep South as an oppressed nation that needed liberation. even She often replied, "I can't remember" or "I won't say." prison An NBC TV movie, Judge Horton and the Scottsboro Boys (1976), asserted that the defense had proven that Price and Bates were prostitutes; both sued NBC over their portrayals. 9. convictions of 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. He also shows the Supreme Court justices the jury rolls with forged names. to 75 years in prison. He was reported to have died not long after his release due to tuberculosis. December 21: Bibb Graves, the governor of Alabama, meets with Chalmers to discuss clemency to the five convicted defendants. Price and Bates may have told the police that they were raped to divert police attention from themselves. Patterson is convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 6 Leibowitz objected that African-American jurors had been excluded from the jury pool. The cases included a lynch mob before the suspects had been indicted, all-white juries, rushed trials, and disruptive mobs. June 12: In his bid for re-election, Horton is defeated. jurisdiction and One of the boys accusers, Ruby Bates, recanted her initial testimony and agreed to testify for the defense. [132] According to a news story, "An 87-year-old black man who attended the ceremony recalled that the mob scene following the Boys' arrest was frightening and that death threats were leveled against the jailed suspects. 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. She said she was "sorry for all the trouble that I caused them", and claimed she did it because she was "frightened by the ruling class of Scottsboro." . and sentenced to death. [98] He denied being a "bought witness", repeating his testimony about armed blacks ordering the white teenagers off the train. Leibowitz called one final witness. [6][7][8] A fight broke out between the white and black groups near the Lookout Mountain tunnel, and the whites were kicked off the train. Multiple trials were held in which all-white juries found guilty Charlie Weems, Ozzie Powell, Clarence Norris, Olen Montgomery . 1931 What year did the Scottsboro story begin? [117] Leibowitz chose to keep Norris off the stand. Judge Hawkins then instructed the jury, stating that any defendant aiding in the crime was as guilty as any of the defendants who had committed it. [80], With his eye turned to the southern jury, Knight cross-examined her. The New York Times described Leibowitz as "pressing the judge almost as though he were a hostile witness. He is granted a new trial. Having reviewed the evidence and met privately with one of the medical examiners, Judge Horton suspended the death sentence and granted Patterson a new trial. On July 24, 1937, Ozie Powell was taken into court and the new prosecutor, Thomas Lawson, announced that the state was dropping rape charges against Powell and that he was pleading guilty to assaulting a deputy. He later pleaded guilty to assaulting the deputy. In what ways was Judge William Callahan different from Judge James Horton? 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. The judge granted Roy Wright, the youngest of the . [97][103], Lester Carter took the stand for the defense. 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. [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. [38], Dr. Bridges was the next prosecution witness, repeating his earlier testimony. . While she was not dying, committed to his three-day time limit for the trial, Judge Callahan denied the request to arrange to take her deposition. How many were given the death penalty? The Supreme Court, by a vote of 7-2, reverses the While the pretrial motion to quash the indictment was denied, Leibowitz had positioned the case for appeal. What was the final verdict? The conviction of Eugene Williams How long did the second set of trials last? The Scottsboro Defense Committee (SDC) is established with Allan Knight Chalmers as chairman. Rape charges Judge Hawkins declared a mistrial. Why did the boys get a second set of trials? Both Price and Bates are examined by doctors. They told us if we didn't confess they'd kill usgive us to the mob outside. But others believed they were victims of Jim Crow justice, and the case was covered by numerous national newspapers. For the last time now, stand back, take your finger out of his eye, and call him mister", causing gasps from the public seated in the gallery. [31] On cross-examination, Roy Wright testified that Patterson "was not involved with the girls", but that "The long, tall, black fellow had the pistol. [131] In January 2004, the town dedicated a historical marker in commemoration of the case at the Jackson County Court House. Alabama failed to provide adequate assistance of counsel as December: The defense team is reorganized. How long did the second set of trials last? The Scottsboro Boys were nine African American teenagers and young men, ages 13 to 20, accused in Alabama of raping two white women in 1931. [54] He wrote, "While the constitution guarantees to the accused a speedy trial, it is of greater importance that it should be by a fair and impartial jury, ex vi termini ("by definition"), a jury free from bias or prejudice, and, above all, from coercion and intimidation. September: Wright and Norris leave Alabama. [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. Craig protested: "I can't change my vote, judge." He set the retrials for January 20, 1936. "[70] Threats of violence came from the North as well. boys listen But even with her revised testimony and evidence from the initial medical examination of the women that refuted the rape charge, another all-white jury convicted the first defendant, Patterson, and recommended the death penalty. Because the case of Haywood Patterson had been dismissed due to the technical failure to appeal it on time, it presented different issues. The Sheriff's department brought the defendants to Court in a patrol wagon guarded by two carloads of deputies armed with shotguns. On July 24, 1937, the state of Alabama dropped all charges against Willie Roberson, Olen Montgomery, Eugene Williams, and Roy Wright. "Scottsboro: An American Tragedy", PBS.org, CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (, "A wing of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the United States, devoted to the defense of people it perceived as victims of a class war. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. January: The NAACP withdraws from the case after the Scottsboro Boys decide to let the ILD handle their case. In 1931, a group of white teenagers started a fight with several Black teens and boys on a train. The Scottsboro Boys were nine African American teenagers and young men, ages 13 to 20, accused in Alabama of raping two white women in 1931. "[107] For his summation, solicitor Wade Wright reviewed the testimony and warned the jury, "that this crime could have happened to any woman, even though she was riding in a parlor car, instead of the boxcar."[103]. He called the jury commissioner to the stand, asking if there were any blacks on the juror rolls, and when told yes, suggested his answer was not honest. The American Communist Party maintained control over the defense of the case, retaining the New York criminal defense attorney Samuel Leibowitz. "Famous Trials" first appeared on the Web in 1995, making this site older than about 99.97% of all websites. On November 21, 2013, Alabama's parole board voted to grant posthumous pardons to the three Scottsboro Boys who had not been pardoned or had their convictions overturned. They did not contradict themselves in any meaningful way. "[71], Leibowitz systematically dismantled each prosecution witness' story under cross-examination. [65] The jury was selected by the end of the day on Friday and sequestered in the Lyons Hotel. June: The sentences given to Norris, Andy Wright, and Weems are affirmed by the Alabama Supreme Court. The Justices examined the items closely with a magnifying glass. Haywood Patterson's Decatur retrial began on November 27, 1933. They later recalled that he "died hard. In the courtroom, the Scottsboro Boys sat in a row wearing blue prison denims and guarded by National Guardsmen, except for Roy Wright, who had not been convicted. The state dropped the rape charges as part of this plea bargain.[6]. The jury began deliberating at four in the afternoon. Supreme Court. In 2016, the site seemed to be showing its age. transferred to Judge William Callahan's court. "[29] The defense made no closing argument, nor did it address the sentencing of the death penalty for their clients. their June 14:Patterson's conviction is upheld by the Alabama Supreme Court. electric chair. "[109] He instructed the jury that if Patterson was so much as present for the "purpose of aiding, encouraging, assisting or abetting" the rapes "in any way", he was as guilty as the person who committed the rapes. . The case is overturned and sent to a lower court. He did so within the next year, and reportedly died in Alabama in 1975. "'Exploding the Myth of the Black Rapist': Collective Memory and the Scottsboro Nine" in, This page was last edited on 21 April 2023, at 14:29. 18. death. Price dies five years later. Speaking of the decision to install the marker, he said, 'I think it will bring the races closer together, to understand each other better. Alabama Governor Robert Bentley signs legislation "[83] He goes on to say that, "Until Wright spoke, many of the newspapermen felt that there was an outside chance for acquittal, at least a hung jury. He had testified in the first Decatur trial that Price and Bates had had sex with him and Gilley in the hobo jungle in Chattanooga prior to the alleged rapes, which could account for the semen found in the women. [32], After the outburst, the defense of Patterson moved for a mistrial, but Judge Hawkins denied the motion and testimony continued. Last modified by: Windows User Created Date: 4/17/2013 3:06:00 PM He is not here." Clarence Norris, who received a pardon from Governor George Wallace of Alabama in 1976, would outlive all of the other Scottsboro Boys, dying in 1989 at the age of 76. A doctor was summoned to examine Price and Bates for signs of rape, but none was found. Pardon Board denies the pardon applications of Norris, Thomas Knight, Jr. by now (May 1935) Lieutenant Governor, was appointed a special prosecutor to the cases.[126]. Although the motion was denied, this got the issue in the record for future appeals. The train is stopped in Paint Rock, Ala and nine African-American teens are arrested for assault. The jury found the defendants guilty, but the judge set aside the verdict and granted a new trial. to the execution of Willie Stokes, the first of ten blacks Stand your ground, show you are a man, a red-blooded he-man. And now they come over here and try to convince you that that sort of thing happened in your neighboring county. 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. Chief Justice John C. Anderson dissented, ruling that the defendants had been denied an impartial jury, fair trial, fair sentencing, and effective counsel. The sheriff deputized a posse, stopped and searched the train at Paint Rock, Alabama and arrested the black Americans. The Scottsboro boys were declared guilty, death by electrocution. [108], Judge Callahan charged the jury that Price and Bates could have been raped without force, just by withholding their consent. How long did the second set of trials last? However, his trial ends with a hung jury as 11 jurors want the death sentence and one vote for life in imprisonment. 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. 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. released after all charges were dropped against them. The case was first heard in Scottsboro, Alabama, in three rushed trials, in which the defendants received poor legal representation. Welcome to Famous Trials, the Web's largest and most visited collection of original essays, trial transcripts and exhibits, maps, images, and other materials relating to the greatest trials in world history. According to the U.S. Supreme Court, "something more" was needed. [113] She claimed Norris raped her, along with five others. Later, she worked in a New York state spinning factory until 1938; that year she returned to Huntsville. 15. July 12: Victoria Price sues NBC for defamation and invasion of privacy after its broadcast of Judge Horton and the Scottsboro Boys airs. The remaining "Scottsboro Boys" in custody, that of Norris, A Wright and Weems were at this time in Kilby Prison. The Scottsboro Boys were nine Black teenagers falsely accused of raping two white women aboard a train near Scottsboro, Alabama, in 1931. Norris '"[131], Sheila Washington founded the Scottsboro Boys Museum & Cultural Center in 2010 in Scottsboro. January: Andy Wright and Clarence Norris are released on parole. ), Leibowitz called local black professionals as witnesses to show they were qualified for jury service. [29], The Court started the next case while the jury was still deliberating the first. What was the common image of black men in Scottsboro? Daren Salter, Scottsboro Trials, Encyclopedia of Alabama. It was as if the exclusion was so ordinary as to be unconscious. The day after the verdict, Ozie Powell was shot in the head after attacking a deputy sheriff with a knife; both men survived. [127], By January 23, 1936, Haywood Patterson was convicted of rape and sentenced to 75 yearsthe first time in Alabama that a black man had not been sentenced to death in the rape of a white woman.[2]. "What has been done to her cannot be undone. It was addressed more to the evidence and less to the regional prejudice of the jury.[118]. James A. Miller, Susan D. Pennybacker, and Eve Rosenhaft, "Mother Ada Wright and the International Campaign to Free the Scottsboro Boys, 19311934", Markovitz, Jonathan (2011). Patterson snapped, "I was framed at Scottsboro." [47] The Party used its legal arm, the International Labor Defense (ILD), to take up their cases,[48] and persuaded the defendants' parents to let the party champion their cause. His son, Sonny, later recalled him as saying: "Those young men were innocent; everybody knew that but they were going to be punished for what they didn't do." "Famous Trials" first appeared on the Web in 1995, making this site older than about 99.97% of all websites. is dismissed. Andy Wright was convicted and sentenced to 99 years. HISTORY.com works with a wide range of writers and editors to create accurate and informative content. Roy Wright, Eugene Williams, Olen Montgomery and Willie But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! 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. 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. "[61] He called local jury commissioners to explain the absence of African-Americans from Jackson County juries. "[125], After the case was remanded, on May 1, 1935, Victoria Price swore new rape complaints against the defendants as the sole complaining witness. [97] He confirmed Price's rape account, adding that he stopped the rape by convincing the "negro" with the gun to make the rapists stop "before they killed that woman. The issue of the composition of the jury was addressed in a second landmark decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled that race could not be used to exclude anyone from candidacy for participation on a jury anywhere in the United States. "[79] At one point, Knight demanded, "You were tried at Scottsboro?" ends That is a toy. It is commonly cited as an example of a legal injustice in the United States legal system. At Knight's request, the court replaced Judge Horton with Judge William Washington Callahan, described as a racist. [129][130], Most residents of Scottsboro have acknowledged the injustice that started in their community. The Supreme Court overturned the Alabama verdicts, setting an important legal precedent for enforcing the right of Black Americans to adequate counsel, and remanded the cases to the lower courts. April through December: Organizations such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) as well as the International Labor Defense (ILD) are astonished by the age of the defendants, length of their trails, and sentences received. The nine, after nearly being lynched, were brought to trial in Scottsboro in April 1931, just three weeks after their arrests. When she responded that the Communist Party had paid for her clothes, any credibility she had with the jury was destroyed. However, Gilley had told her to "go to hell." (The judge would be rewarded for this brave action by losing his bid for reelection the following year.).