Knight countered that there had been no mob atmosphere at the trial, and pointed to the finding by the Alabama Supreme Court that the trial had been fair and representation "able." It ruled that African Americans had to be included on juries, and ordered retrials. "[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. On July 24, 1937, Charlie Weems was convicted of rape and sentenced to 105 years in prison. attacking A mistrial was declared, and Leroy Wright would remain in prison until 1937 awaiting the final verdict on his co-defendants. They said the problem was with the way Judge Hawkins "immediately hurried to trial. 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. Author Harper Lee reportedly drew on the boys experience when she wrote her classic novel To Kill A Mockingbird, and over the years the case has inspired numerous other books, songs, feature films, documentaries and even a Broadway musical. Scottsboro Boys - Wikipedia Horton ordered a new trial which would turn out to be the third for Patterson. July 24: The rape charges against Olen Montgomery, Willie Roberson, Eugene Williams, and Roy Wright are dropped. He was reported to have died not long after his release due to tuberculosis. 17. He set the retrials for January 20, 1936. Eugene Williams moved with family in St. Louis. 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. 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. Posse member Tom Rousseau claimed to have seen the women and youths get off the same car but under cross-examination admitted finding the defendants scattered in various cars at the front of the train. November 7: In the case of Powell v. Alabama, the Supreme Court ruled that the defendants were denied the right to counsel. When he resumed the next morning, he pointed out many contradictions among her various versions of the rape. "[80] Bates proceeded to testify and explained that no rape had occurred. He walked through the mob and the crowd parted to let him through; Wann was not touched by anyone. The sheriff deputized a posse, stopped and searched the train at Paint Rock, Alabama and arrested the black Americans. November to December: Patterson and Norris' cases both end in the death penalty. and September: Wright and Norris leave Alabama. age 76. 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. To Kill a Mockingbird also reflects the Scottsboro Boys trial, one of the best-known cases of the 1930s. December: The defense team is reorganized. June 22: Patterson's conviction is set aside by Judge Horton. The Birmingham News described him as "dressed up like a Georgia gigolo. Norris. In 2013, the state of Alabama issued posthumous pardons for Patterson, Weems, and Andy Wright. Clarence Norris was the only defendant finally sentenced to death. [80][citation needed], By the time Leibowitz closed, the prosecution had employed anti-semitic remarks to discredit him. [33] The second trial continued. juries in The jury found the defendants guilty, but the judge set aside the verdict and granted a new trial. November 17: Weems is released on parole. When asked if she had been raped on March 25, 1931, Bates said, "No sir." Olen Montgomery testified that he sat alone on the train and did not know of any of the referenced events. to the execution of Willie Stokes, the first of ten blacks The case was first returned to the lower court and the judge allowed a change of venue, moving the retrials to Decatur, Alabama. 29, 2021, thoughtco.com/timeline-of-scottsboro-boys-45428. He told the court that he had "no apologies" to make.[58]. "[102], Patterson claimed the threats had been made by guards and militiamen while the defendants were in the Jackson County jail. The landmark set of legal cases from this incident dealt with racism and the right to a fair trial. Judge Horton sets aside Haywood Patterson's conviction and [67], Price insisted that she had spent the evening before the alleged rape at the home of Mrs. Callie Brochie in Chattanooga. [32], After the outburst, the defense of Patterson moved for a mistrial, but Judge Hawkins denied the motion and testimony continued. 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. [43], The eight convicted defendants were assembled on April 9, 1931, and sentenced to death by electric chair. Chief Justice John C. Anderson dissented, agreeing with the defense in many of its motions. "The Scottsboro Boys." [128], Scottsboro: A Tragedy of the American South (1969) by Dan T. Carter was widely thought to be authoritative, but it wrongly asserted that Price and Bates were dead. there would be many more trials of the Scottsboro defendants over the years and each . They were both suspected of being prostitutes and not only risked being arrested for it, but they could also have been prosecuted for violating the Mann Act by crossing a state line "for immoral purposes. [63] The judge abruptly interrupted Leibowitz.[64]. that [citation needed], The pace of the trials was very fast before the standing-room-only, all-white audience. On March 25, 1931, after a fight broke out on a Southern Railroad freight train in Jackson County, Alabama, police arrested nine Black youths, ranging in age from 13 to 19, on a minor charge. "[66] The attorney tried to question her about a conviction for fornication and adultery in Huntsville, but the court sustained a prosecution objection. Did Ory Dobbins frame them? A crowd of thousands soon formed. 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. all nine boys after accusations are made by Victoria Price He said that he had seen both Price and Bates get on a train there with a white man on the morning of the alleged rape. Weems is How long did the second set of trials last? defeated in his bid for re-election. The Alabama Supreme Court denies the defense motion for new trials. [citation needed], There was no evidence (beyond the women's testimony) pointing to the guilt of the accused, yet that was irrelevant due to the prevalent racism in the South at the time, according to which black men were constantly being policed by white men for signs of sexual interest in white women, which could be punishable by lynching. December: Lieutenant Governor Thomas Knight, the prosecuting attorney for the case, meets with Leibowitz in New York to come to a compromise. Many years later, Judge Horton said that Dr. Lynch confided that the women had not been raped and had laughed when he examined them. It is speculated that after Roy's death, Andy returned to his hometown of Chattanooga to be with his mother Ada Wright. [65] The jury was selected by the end of the day on Friday and sequestered in the Lyons Hotel. Home. The conviction of Eugene Williams During the retrials, one of the alleged victims admitted to fabricating the rape story and asserted that none of the Scottsboro Boys touched either of the white women. (Credit: Wikipedia) The case unfolded with astounding rapidity. transferred to Judge William Callahan's court. 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. [103] Patterson explained contradictions in his testimony: "We was scared and I don't know what I said. A widely published photo showed the two women shortly after the arrests in 1931. Scottsboro's jail. It was market day in Scottsboro, and farmers were in town to sell produce and buy supplies. January 23: Patterson is retried. . "[70] Threats of violence came from the North as well. Norris and Wright leave Montgomery in violation of He was called in to see the judge presiding over that retrial, James Horton, who exhorted him to change his vote to guilty. The jury found the defendant guilty of rape and sentenced Patterson to death in the electric chair. The whites went to a sheriff in the nearby town Paint Rock, Alabama, and claimed that they were assaulted by the Black Americans on the train. [50] Chamlee offered judge Hawkins affidavits to that effect, but the judge forbade him to read them out loud. There was a wrong amount of Black jury officials. Early in 1936, Patterson was convicted for a fourth time, but sentenced to 75 years in prison. In Powell v. Alabama (1932), the Court ordered new trials.[3]. On March 25, 1931, Victoria Price and Ruby Bates were travelling in men's overalls, hoboing aboard a Southern Railroad freight train, when it was met by a heavily-armed posse in Paint Rock,. Leibowitz made many objections to Judge Callahan's charge to the jury. She denies being raped and further testifies that she was with Price for the duration of the train ride. In 1936, Ozie Powell was involved in an altercation with a guard and shot in the face, suffering permanent brain damage. 3 days How long did the first trial last? convictions. scottsboro film questions.doc - "The Scottsboro Trials" PBS In his closing argument, Leibowitz called the prosecution's case "a contemptible frame-up by two bums. His appointment to the case drew local praise. Samuel S. Leibowitz, a New York lawyer, is retained by the "[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]. During more cross-examination, Price looked at Knight so often Leibowitz accused her of looking for signals. Terms in this set (28) [66] The defense had what she had said before under oath on paper, and could confront her with any inconsistencies. Haywood Patterson is convicted for a fourth time of rape 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. The other seven defendants appear in Callahan's courtroom. "[87], The defense moved for a retrial and, believing the defendants innocent, Judge James Edwin Horton agreed to set aside the guilty verdict for Patterson. There were few African Americans in the jury pool, as most had been disenfranchised since the turn of the century by a new state constitution and white discriminatory practice, and were thus disqualified from jury service. Leibowitz called John Sanford, an African-American of Scottsboro, who was educated, well-spoken, and respected. The Scottsboro Affair | Facing History & Ourselves The ILD saw African Americans in the deep South as an oppressed nation that needed liberation. I appreciate the Pardons and Parole Board for continuing our progress today and officially granting these pardons. Judge Callahan said he was giving them two forms one for conviction and one for acquittal, but he supplied the jury with only a form to convict. Hundreds more gathered on the courthouse lawn. [52], The Court upheld the lower court's change of venue decision, upheld the testimony of Ruby Bates, and reviewed the testimony of the various witnesses. The jury began deliberation on December 5. Haywood Patterson's Decatur retrial began on November 27, 1933. Multiple trials were held in which all-white juries found guilty Charlie Weems, Ozzie Powell, Clarence Norris, Olen Montgomery . Price in "[83], In his closing, Leibowitz called Wright's argument an appeal to regional bigotry, claiming talk about Communists was just to "befuddle" the jury. right to Leibowitz objected that African-American jurors had been excluded from the jury pool. Patterson is involved in a barroom fight resulting in the Scottsboro Documentary Viewing Guide.docx - Course Hero History, Scottsboro Boys Museum. 9. In 1936 one of the "boys", Ozzie Powell, was shot in the face and permanently disabled during an altercation with a sheriff's deputy in prison. How long did the jury take to re-convict the boys during the third trial? 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]. In the letter, Bates admits she was not raped. [114], Dr. Bridges was a state witness, and Leibowitz cross-examined him at length, trying to get him to agree that a rape would have produced more injuries than he found. Horton replied: "Don't worry about that, I'll take care of it. Thomas Knight meets with Samuel Leibowitz in New York to 19. Nine African American boys were charged with rape. The trial of the youngest, 13-year-old. Craig protested: "I can't change my vote, judge." "Famous Trials" first appeared on the Web in 1995, making this site older than about 99.97% of all websites. The cases were twice appealed to the United States Supreme Court, which led to landmark decisions on the conduct of trials. This astonished (and infuriated) many residents of Alabama and many other Southern states. Price died in 1983, in Lincoln County, Tennessee. Supreme Court. Clarence Norris, the last surviving Scottsboro boy, dies Black Americans in Alabama had been disenfranchised since the late 19th century and were therefore not allowed on juries, which were limited to voters. The cases are sent to the lower court. The cases included a lynch mob before the suspects had been indicted, all-white juries, rushed trials, and disruptive mobs. Speaking of the decision to install the marker, he said, 'I think it will bring the races closer together, to understand each other better. 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. In 2013, the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles voted unanimously to issue posthumous pardons to Patterson, Weems and Andy Wright, bringing a long-overdue end to one of the most notorious cases of racial injustice in U.S. history. 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. On cross-examination Knight confronted him with previous testimony from his Scottsboro trial that he had not touched the women, but that he had seen the other five defendants rape them. 15. [77], Five of the original nine Scottsboro defendants testified that they had not seen Price or Bates until after the train stopped in Paint Rock. Andy Wright This denial was considered a violation of their right to due process under the Fourteenth Amendment. [62] (Note: Since most blacks could not vote after having been disenfranchised by the Alabama constitution, the local jury commissioners probably never thought about them as potential jurors, who were limited to voters. But he said that he saw the alleged rapes by the other blacks from his spot atop the next boxcar. The Scottsboro trial happened in Alabama in 1931. She said Patterson had fired a shot and ordered all whites but Gilley off the train. He remained in contact with Clarence Norris, Willie Roberson, and the Wright brothers. 20. Both Price and Bates are examined by doctors. Two white women also claimed they had been raped. 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. 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. All Rights Reserved. The U. S. Supreme Court announces that it will review the and convicted, and sentenced to death. Wright and Williams, regardless of their guilt or innocence, were 12 and 13 at the time and, in view of the jail time they had already served, justice required that they also be released. [94] Callahan excluded defense evidence that Horton had admitted, at one point exclaiming to Leibowitz, "Judge Horton can't help you [now]. He had heard Price ask Orville Gilley, a white youth, to confirm that she had been raped. Roberson, Montgomery, and Powell all denied they had known each other or the other defendants before that day. When asked why she had initially said she had been raped, Bates replied, "I told it just like Victoria did because she said we might have to stay in jail if we did not frame up a story after crossing a state line with men." Norris took the news stoically. [116], Closing arguments were on December 4, 1933. What was the final verdict? are added Patterson and the other black passengers were able to ward off the group. A band, there to play for a show of Ford Motor Company cars outside, began playing "Hail, Hail the Gang's All Here" and "There'll be a Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight". Deputy Sheriff Edgar Blalock. He also shows the Supreme Court justices the jury rolls with forged names. released after all charges were dropped against them. It upheld seven of eight rulings from the lower court. He also imposed a strict three-day time limit on each trial, running them into the evening. The Scottsboro cases are removed from Judge Horton's Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like How many boys were in the Scottsboro trial?, Where did the trials take place?, What were the boys accused for? Court. Scheduled maintenance: Thursday, January 26 from 6PM to 7PM PST. The nine young men are taken to Scottsboro, Ala. Judge Horton postpones the trials of the other Scottsboro October: George Wallace, governor of Alabama, pardons Clarence Norris. March 25: A group of young African-American and white men engage in a scuffle while riding a freight train. [133] On November 21, 2013, the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles granted posthumous pardons to Weems, Wright and Patterson, the only Scottsboro Boys who had neither had their convictions overturned nor received a pardon.[135][136]. 30 days. "[30][31], Dr. Bridges repeated his testimony from the first trial. Horton November 15: The pardon applications of all five defendants are denied by Graves. "[55] Justice Anderson also pointed out the failure of the defense to make closing arguments as an example of under zealous defense representation. [38], Dr. Bridges was the next prosecution witness, repeating his earlier testimony. After Roberson and Wright died in 1959, he told Norris he planned on returning to the south. Two lawyers are charged with attempting to bribe Victoria "What has been done to her cannot be undone. The defense had urged for a move to the city of Birmingham, Alabama, but the case was transferred to the small, rural community of Decatur. Olen Montgomery attempted a vaudeville career after being released from prison, but these plans never materialized. Price's case was initially dismissed but she appealed. Wright wore street clothes. Knight thundered, "Who told you to say that?" Chamlee moved for new trials for all defendants. The foreman unfisted a moist crumpled note, handed it to the clerk. The second round of trials began in the circuit court in Decatur, Alabama, 50 miles west of Scottsboro, under Judge James Horton. He was found in 1976 and pardoned by Governor George Wallace. We strive for accuracy and fairness. However, his trial ends with a hung jury as 11 jurors want the death sentence and one vote for life in imprisonment. [75], Train fireman Percy Ricks testified that he saw the two women slipping along the side of the train right after it stopped in Paint Rock, as if they were trying to escape the posse. Haywood Patterson's second trial begins in Decatur before judge James Horton. It was as if the exclusion was so ordinary as to be unconscious. [16] Courthouse access required a permit due to the salacious nature of the testimony expected. death. 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. while One of the boys accusers, Ruby Bates, recanted her initial testimony and agreed to testify for the defense. "[69] Once Captain Burelson learned that a group was on their way to "take care of Leibowitz", he raised the drawbridge across the Tennessee River, keeping them out of Decatur. The U.S. Supreme Court overturns the convictions of Norris What you can do now is to make sure that it doesn't happen to some other woman." She was, however, the first witness to use her bad memory, truculence, and total lack of refinement, and at times, even ignorance, to great advantage. Finally, he defended the women, "Instead of painting their faces they were brave enough to go to Chattanooga and look for honest work. Chief Justice Anderson's previous dissent was quoted repeatedly in this decision. Alabama is going to observe the supreme law of America. The prosecution presented only testimony from Price and Bates. "[111], In May 1934, despite having run unopposed in the previous election for the position, James Horton was soundly defeated when he ran for re-election as a circuit judge. to Judge Callahan arraigned all the defendants except the two juveniles in Decatur; they all pleaded not guilty. Subjects . The judge was replaced and the case tried under a judge who ruled frequently against the defense. Leibowitz put on the testimony of Chattanooga gynecologist, Dr. Edward A. Reisman, who testified that after a woman had been raped by six men, it was impossible that she would have only a trace of semen, as was found in this case. [113] She claimed Norris raped her, along with five others. At one point, a white man stood on the hand of 18-year-old Haywood Patterson, who would become one of the Scottsboro Nine, and almost knocked him off the train. 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. ", Ruby Bates was apparently too sick to travel. Judge Callahan repeatedly interrupted Leibowitz's cross-examination of Price, calling defense questions "arguing with the witness", "immaterial, "useless", "a waste of time" and even "illegal. Judge Horton was appointed. Wright. [81], "I'm interested", Leibowitz argued, "solely in seeing that that poor, moronic colored boy over there and his co-defendants in the other cases get a square shake of the dice, because I believe, before God, they are the victims of a dastardly frame-up. February 15: Leibowitz appears before the Supreme Court of the United States, describing the lack of African-American presence on juries in Jackson County. He walked across the street to the courthouse where he telephoned Governor Benjamin M. Miller, who mobilized the Alabama Army National Guard to protect the jail. In total, the Scottsboro nine were found guilty in three separate trials. in a mistrial when some jurors hold out for a death sentence "[101] Gilley testified to meeting Lester Carter and the women the evening before the alleged rapes and getting them coffee and sandwiches. reports The four had spent over six years in prison on death row, as "adults" despite their ages. Judge Callahan cautioned Leibowitz he would not permit "such tactics" in his courtroom. 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. How many boys did Alabama set free during the fourth trial? [17] The judge persuaded Stephen Roddy, a Chattanooga, Tennessee, real estate lawyer, to assist him. Updated: August 30, 2022 | Original: February 22, 2018. In March of 1931, nine young African-American men were accused of raping two white women on a train. [24], Clarence Norris and Charlie Weems were tried after Haywood Patterson. Judge Callahan sustained prosecution objections to large portions of it, most significantly the part where she said that she and Price both had sex voluntarily in Chattanooga the night before the alleged rapes. [26][28] The defense put on no further witnesses. He did so within the next year, and reportedly died in Alabama in 1975. The Scottsboro Defense Committee is organized. -one boy was nearly blind -one boy had Syphilis -Price's boyfriend testified that she had been with him the night before -no live semen found during medical evaluation Why did the boys get a second set of trials? This sentence was a negotiation between the foreman and the rest of the jury. [106], Knight declared in his closing that the prosecution was not avenging what the defendants had done to Price. "The Scottsboro Boys", as they became known, and their case have been thoroughly analyzed. He denied seeing the white women before Paint Rock. During the following cross-examination, Knight addressed the witness by his first name, "John." Scottsboro: An American Tragedy, PBS. [133] It is located in the former Joyce Chapel United Methodist Church and is devoted to exploring the case and commemorating the search for justice for its victims. convictions. The indictment could be made with a two-thirds vote, and the grand jury voted to indict the defendants. What movement did the Scottsboro Trials re-spark? While Weems did end up getting married and working in a laundry in Atlanta, his eyes never recovered from being tear gassed while in prison. tried "The Scottsboro Boys." even He escaped from prison in Alabama but was convicted of a different crime in Michigan and died in prison there. "[3] This conclusion did not find the Scottsboro defendants innocent but ruled that the procedures violated their rights to due process under the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments. To See Justice Done: Letters from the Scottsboro Boys Trials, Scottsboro Boys Trial Clippings, The University of Alabama in Huntsville Archives and Special Collections, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Scottsboro_Boys&oldid=1151036869, Overturned convictions in the United States, Recipients of American gubernatorial pardons, CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown, Articles with dead external links from May 2018, Articles with permanently dead external links, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from February 2019, Articles with unsourced statements from June 2016, Articles with unsourced statements from March 2014, Articles prone to spam from February 2015, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Following his conviction, Haywood Patterson spent 13 years in prison.
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