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. based on information from your browser. Rise said that after Battle's clemency rejection, Martin filed a writ of habeas corpus a civil challenge to the death sentences arguing that the seven were denied equal protection under the law guaranteed by the 14th Amendment. That appeal failed, too, however. "These men were executed because they were Black, and that's not right," Northam said. The Associated Press contributed to this report. 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 Martinsville Seven were a group of seven African-American men from Martinsville, Virginia, who were convicted and executed in 1951 for raping a white woman in 1949. Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again. It is a filthy, sick crime," Hodge-Muse said. "Booker T. gave the little colored boy a quarter and told him to go (away)," Hampton told police. To use social login you have to agree with the storage and handling of your data by this website. The propaganda emanating from these sources bears no semblance of truth and is designed for no other purpose than to foment ill feeling between the races and to mislead those who have no knowledge of the true fact of these cases.. Though Governor William Tuck initially agreed to a stay during appellate litigation, by late July 1950, newly elected Governor John S. Battle refused to commute the men's sentences, saying he was horrified by the rapes. Do I see a pattern here? The Civil Rights Congress pickets the White House February 1, 1951 demanding President Harry Truman stop the execution of the Martinsville 7 seven African American men sentenced to death for the rape of a white woman in Virginia. "I am not excusing rape. You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. There were six trials two defendants elected to be tried together held back to back, none of them lasting more than a day. The mass executions were the largest in Virginia in modern times. New York Public Library. 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 . In December, advocates and descendants of the men asked Northam to issue posthumous pardons. [2] The men were executed in early February. On January 31, a mass demonstration of over 400 took place in Richmond to demand a halt to the planned executions despite the virulent racist opposition of many white supremacists. To protect them from mob violence, they took them to other jails outside Henry County. 2021 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. The attack occurred in Cherrytown, the black section of Martinsville. She was emotionally upset, said the doctor, her underclothing was missing and her coat, dress and slip were "extremely dirty.". "They won't discuss that at all," she said. 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. "[17], National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, False accusations of rape as justification for lynchings, "These 7 Black Men Were Executed For An Alleged Rape. Try again later. Sorry! This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. Both African American newspapers, the Richmond Afro-American and Norfolk Journal and Guide concluded the national and international crusades by the CRC hurt the defendants' chances for clemency. He is now in his 70s and lives just outside the city of Martinsville. Northam said some of the defendants were impaired at the time of their arrests or unable to read confessions they signed. 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. The seven men, most in their late teens or early 20s, were: Grayson, Frank Hairston Jr.; Howard Lee Hairston; James Luther Hairston; Joe Henry Hampton; Booker Millner; and John Clabon Taylor. Floyd identified two of her rapists as Grayson and Hampton, but she could not identify the others. [4] Authorities showed increased professional conduct and procedures since the controversial arrest and execution of Odell Waller during World War II (he was initially represented at trial by the Trotskyite Revolutionary Workers League and ultimately executed).[5]. Switch to the light mode that's kinder on your eyes at day time. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. Their trials and the electrocutions became a cause clbre similar to the Scottsboro Case of the 1930s. The photographer is unknown. Do you find this information helpful? After Virginia became a state and until the end of the Civil War, state law allowed only blacks to receive a death sentence for rape. 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. Rise said two men said they had consensual sex with her, one man denied any involvement, and another man said he was so intoxicated he could not remember what happened. Later, three other men, Francis DeSales Grayson, John Clabon Taylor and James Luther Hairston joined the other four in the assault, according to the confessions. Are you sure that you want to remove this flower? Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. 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. They argued for lesser sentences, but Battle resisted their pleas. 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. Virginia law authorized capital punishment for accessories, parties to the act of rape who did not take part in the act. Courtesy of the D.C. Public Library Washington Star Collection Washington Post. Hampton said he, Howard Hairston, Booker T. Millner and Frank Hairston Jr., were drinking wine near some railroad tracks that Saturday night. Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. Try again later. But the remaining three men were executed on Monday, Feb. 5. You are using an out of date browser. Cries and sobs could be heard from some of the descendants after Northam's announcement. John S. Battle. or don't show this againI am good at figuring things out. [12] The NAACP's interest was in establishing legal precedent "for the benefit of due process and equal protection in general and the Negroes' rights in particular. The low IQ low life disregard they are the biggest killers of themselves. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot loses reelection bid, Fiery train crash in Greece kills at least 36, injures some 85, Garland to face Congress amid ongoing special counsel investigations, FBI chief says agency feels pandemic likely started with Chinese lab leak, House select committee hearing paints China as a strategic antagonist, JetBlue flight forced to abort landing in close call at Logan Airport, Three officers shot, standoff follows in Kansas City, Mo., police say, Vanessa Bryant, family settles claims over Kobe crash site photos for $28.5M, Bald eagle couple lays new egg after losing eaglets two years in a row, Supreme Court hears case on race and the death penalty. She said that she had been raped at least 13 times. Two of the men were tried together. A unique soul with a great personality has an amazing sense of humour, diligent and caring. He resented being under so much pressure. 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. The prosecution pointed out that Floyd had gone to an area considered unsafe for white women, ignored warnings of black residents of staying too long there, and not been attentive to her surroundings or the men she passed. He sobbed loudly when Northam told the family members he would grant the pardons after meeting with them Tuesday. "We all deserve a criminal justice system that is fair, equal, and gets it right no matter who you are or what you look like," he said. The preliminary hearing occurred about a month later, and the grand jury two months after that. The trial lasted for eleven days, during which the jury 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. Reached by telephone, she said her family will not talk about her grandfather or what happened. "No one believed they should get off free " she said. Northam announced the pardons after meeting with about a dozen descendants of the men and their advocates. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. Please subscribe to keep reading. The seven were charged with the rape of Ruby Stroud Floyd in a black neighborhood of Martinsville, Virginia on January 8, 1949. [2] A relative of the Hairstons has said that their family tradition always said that Floyd had been having an affair with one of the defendants, but this was not explored at trial. It was the largest mass execution for rape that had been reported in the United States. At the time of their arrest, all but one was between the ages of 20 and 23. "Thank you, Jesus. Virginia Gov. 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. He said none of the men had attorneys present while they were interrogated. All but one man were in their early 20s. 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 neighborhood in Martinsville . 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. [11], The case of the Martinsville Seven was taken up by outside groups, including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the Civil Rights Congress (CRC). The night of Feb. 1, 1951, hundreds of people of both races gathered at the state Capitol to pray. "Thank you, Jesus. He said, 'Well, read the book the Martinsville Seven. And, he asserts, it is "the most dramatic example of how the American judicial system has simply refused to face the facts about race and capital punishment.". Residents warned her not to stay too long, noting the time as late afternoon. What happened to the white American Ruby Stroud Floyd more than 70 years ago in a black neighborhood in the small town of Martinsville, Virginia, will probably remain unexplained forever. "Their punishment did not fit the crime. Here you'll find all collections you've created before. You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. Hodge-Muse said it was common knowledge that the victim spent a great deal of time in the black community. You can cancel at any time. View Source. 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. In 1977, in its ruling in Coker v. Georgia, the US Supreme Court ruled that "it is repugnant to an enlightened society for the state to kill a person for a crime that does not result in death," declining to extend the death penalty to a person guilty of raping an adult woman. Eric W, Rise, an associate professor at the University of Delaware who wrote a 1995 book on the case,The Martinsville Seven: Race, Rape, and Capital Punishment,said Floyd told police she was raped by a large group of Black men and testified at all six trials. The Civil Rights Congress pickets the White House January 30, 1951 demanding President Harry Truman stop the execution of the Martinsville 7 seven African American men sentenced to death for the rape of a white woman in Virginia. No animated GIFs, photos with additional graphics (borders, embellishments. Each man was charged with rape and aiding and abetting rape both crimes punishable by death at the time. August (1992): 461-490; Eric W. Rise, The Martinsville Seven: Race Rape and Capital Punishment (Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1995). By using this form you agree with the storage and handling of your data by this website. A prosecutor asked him: "Charlie, do you know what happens to little boys who tell lies when they die?". While Ruby Stroud Floyd was being treated in hospital after the alleged rape, police arrested six suspects, and two days later a seventh. Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. Your donation is fully tax-deductible. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Enter your account data and we will send you a link to reset your password. This was objected to by the NAACP, who feared further backlash because of the CRC's Communist affiliations. "I don't want to bring that up again.". All seven men signed statements admitting they were present during the attack, but they had no access to their parents or attorneys at the time, Rise said. A grand jury (which included both black and white members) indicted all the men. 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