When Leibowitz accused them of excluding black men from juries, they did not seem to understand his accusation. Patterson is involved in a barroom fight resulting in the Watts moved to have the case sent to the Federal Court as a civil rights case, which Callahan promptly denied. He told the court that he had "no apologies" to make.[58]. April 6 - 7: Clarence Norris and Charlie Weems, were placed on trial, convicted and given the death sentence. transferred to Judge William Callahan's court. She reiterated that neither she nor Price had been raped. Norris If they believed her, that was enough to convict. "[18] For each trial, all-white juries were selected. As the second trial began, what happened to Ruby Bates?13. Wann through every page of the Jackson County jury roll to show that it contained no names of African-Americans. Ruby Bates failed to mention that either she or Price were raped until she was cross-examined. October 26: The United States Supreme Court decides not to hear the appeal of Patterson. The ILD retained Walter Pollak[57] to handle the appeal. [citation needed], Judge Horton learned that the prisoners were in danger from locals. Leibowitz objected that the argument was "an appeal to passion and prejudice" and moved for a mistrial. Grounds for Knight continued, "We all have a passion, all men in this courtroom to protect the womanhood in Alabama. Later, she worked in a New York state spinning factory until 1938; that year she returned to Huntsville. [67], Price insisted that she had spent the evening before the alleged rape at the home of Mrs. Callie Brochie in Chattanooga. [94] Callahan excluded defense evidence that Horton had admitted, at one point exclaiming to Leibowitz, "Judge Horton can't help you [now]. Judge Horton was appointed. [86] Bailey had held out for eleven hours for life in prison, but in the end, agreed to the death sentence. The Scottsboro Defense Committee is organized. It is speculated that after Roy's death, Andy returned to his hometown of Chattanooga to be with his mother Ada Wright. The Supreme Court overturned the convictions on the basis that they did not have effective representation. [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. [55], Anderson criticized how the defendants were represented. Leibowitz questioned her until Judge Callahan stopped court for the day at 6:30. cases. The state dropped the rape charges as part of this plea bargain.[6]. protesting the Alabama trials. represent the Scottsboro boys. On April 9, 1931, eight of the nine young men were convicted and sentenced to death. Andy Wright is paroled. Scottsboro Trial Collection, Cornell Law Library. 1931. The motion was denied. December: The defense team is reorganized. He noted her stylish dress and demanded where she had gotten her fine clothes. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/timeline-of-scottsboro-boys-45428. Knight thundered, "Who told you to say that?" Last, he argued that African Americans were systematically excluded from jury duty contrary to the Fourteenth Amendment. He also testified that defendant Willie Roberson was "diseased with syphilis and gonorrhea, a bad case of it." American Experience. He noted that Roddy "declined to appear as appointed counsel and did so only as amicus curiae." One letter from Chicago read, "When those Boys are dead, within six months your state will lose 500 lives. How many boys did Alabama set free during the fourth trial? because African Americans were excluded from sitting on the [26][28] The defense put on no further witnesses. This was near homes of the alleged victims and in Ku Klux Klan territory.[59]. The case went to the United States Supreme Court on October 10, 1932, amidst tight security. Only four of the young African American men knew each other prior to the incident on the freight train, but as the trials drew increasing regional and national attention they became known as the Scottsboro Boys. ends June: The sentences given to Norris, Andy Wright, and Weems are affirmed by the Alabama Supreme Court. 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. The first jury deliberated less than two hours before returning a guilty verdict and imposed the death sentence on both Weems and Norris. Roddy admitted he had not had time to prepare and was not familiar with Alabama law, but agreed to aid Moody. Alabama is going to observe the supreme law of America. Judge Callahan started jury selection for the trial of defendant Norris on November 30, 1933, Thanksgiving afternoon. His family planned on him going to Seminary school, but whether this happened is not certain. people forgot about it. The Justices examined the items closely with a magnifying glass. The decision of Judge James Horton to set aside the conviction of Haywood Patterson, despite the dire consequences that decision would have for his own career . She accused Patterson of shooting one of the white youths. Not until the first day of the trial were the defendants provided with the services of two volunteer lawyers. "[99] The many contradictions notwithstanding, Price steadfastly stuck to her testimony that Patterson had raped her. [4] Charges were finally dropped for four of the nine defendants. Now the question in this case is thisIs justice in the case going to be bought and sold in Alabama with Jew money from New York? In total, the Scottsboro nine were found guilty in three separate trials. Washington Norris took the news stoically. Patterson replied, "I told myself to say it. In 1931, a group of white teenagers started a fight with several Black teens and boys on a train. [32], After the outburst, the defense of Patterson moved for a mistrial, but Judge Hawkins denied the motion and testimony continued. Clarence Norris's death sentence is reduced to life in The Scottsboro Defense Committee (SDC) is established with Allan Knight Chalmers as chairman. right to of dangerously high local tensions. Without the "vivid detail" she had used in the Scottsboro trials, Victoria Price told her account in 16 minutes. What movement did the Scottsboro Trials re-spark? 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. against [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. Another police official shoots Powell in the head. [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. Norris. He had never lost a murder trial and was a registered Democrat, with no connection to the Communist Party. 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. 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. His appointment to the case drew local praise. Haywood Patterson's second trial begins in Decatur before Alabama failed to provide adequate assistance of counsel as Scottsboro He is sentenced to death by electrocution. August: A denial of parole is recommended for Patterson and Powell by an Alabama parole board. One of the boys accusers, Ruby Bates, recanted her initial testimony and agreed to testify for the defense. Governor Graves had planned to pardon the prisoners in 1938 but was angered by their hostility and refusal to admit their guilt. [110], As Time described it: "Twenty-six hours later came a resounding thump on the brown wooden jury room door. 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. National Guard members in plain clothes mingled in the crowd, looking for any sign of trouble. Early in 1936, Patterson was convicted for a fourth time, but sentenced to 75 years in prison. [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]. Why were 9 men arrested on the night of March 31, 1931? Wright wore street clothes. There's too many niggers in the world anyway. The attorneys approached the bench for a hushed conversation, which was followed by a short recess. March 25: A group of young African-American and white men engage in a scuffle while riding a freight train. The remaining "Scottsboro Boys" in custody, that of Norris, A Wright and Weems were at this time in Kilby Prison. [97][103], Lester Carter took the stand for the defense. He set the retrials for January 20, 1936. The four had spent over six years in prison on death row, as "adults" despite their ages. Considering the evidence, he continued, "there can be but one verdictdeath in the electric chair for raping Victoria Price. Multiple trials were held in which all-white juries found guilty Charlie Weems, Ozzie Powell, Clarence Norris, Olen Montgomery . "The Scottsboro Boys." Scottsboro She had disappeared from her home in Huntsville weeks before the new trial, and every sheriff in Alabama had been ordered to search for her, to no avail. She denies being raped and further testifies that she was with Price for the duration of the train ride. Judge Horton refused to grant a new trial, telling the jury to "put [the remarks] out of your minds. April 8 - 9: Olen Montgomery, Ozie Powell, Willie Roberson, Eugene Williams, and Andy Wright are also tried, convicted and sentenced to death. 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. [73], The prosecution withdrew the testimony of Dr. Marvin Lynch, the other examining doctor, as "repetitive." The Alabama Supreme Court affirmed seven of the eight convictions, and granted 13-year-old Eugene Williams a new trial because he was a minor. The Scottsboro Boys. 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. Boys. The Trial That Stirred a Movement. 17. Callahan interrupted before Leibowitz could find out if Gilley went "somewhere with [the women]" that night. Chamlee was joined by Communist Party attorney Joseph Brodsky and ILD attorney Irving Schwab. Price accused Eugene Williams of holding the knife to her throat, and said that all of the other teenagers had knives. The U.S. Supreme Court overturns the convictions of Norris the due process clause of the 14th Amendment. and sentenced to death. Updated: August 30, 2022 | Original: February 22, 2018. What did Haywood Patterson say caused the fight on the train? Eugene Williams moved with family in St. Louis. He testified that he had been on the train on the morning of the arrests. (The judge would be rewarded for this brave action by losing his bid for reelection the following year.). Haywood is charged with murder. convicted, ), Leibowitz called local black professionals as witnesses to show they were qualified for jury service. Montgomery, At Knight's request, the court replaced Judge Horton with Judge William Washington Callahan, described as a racist. When asked if she had been raped on March 25, 1931, Bates said, "No sir." Olen Montgomery attempted a vaudeville career after being released from prison, but these plans never materialized. Leibowitz read the rest of Bates' deposition, including her version of what happened on the train. When she responded that the Communist Party had paid for her clothes, any credibility she had with the jury was destroyed. On July 22, 1937, Andrew Wright was convicted of rape and sentenced to 99 years. Where did the scottsboro trial happen? However, G. Mennen Williams, governor of Michigan does not extradite Patterson to Alabama. On cross-examination he testified that he had seen "all but three of those negroes ravish that girl", but then changed his story. October 29: Graves meets with the convicted defendants to consider parole. He said threats were made even in the presence of the judge. The landmark set of legal cases from this incident dealt with racism and the right to a fair trial. "[103] Bailey attacked the defense case. "[125], After the case was remanded, on May 1, 1935, Victoria Price swore new rape complaints against the defendants as the sole complaining witness. I want you to know that. What was the final verdict? Knight agreed that it was an appeal to passion, and Callahan overruled the motion. How long did the second set of trials last? [17] As the Supreme Court later described this situation, "the proceedings took place in an atmosphere of tense, hostile, and excited public sentiment. The prosecution presented only testimony from Price and Bates. in a mistrial when some jurors hold out for a death sentence When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. After the Alabama Supreme Court upheld Pattersons conviction in June, and Norriss third trial ended in another death sentence, Andy Wright and Weems were both convicted of rape and sentenced to long prison terms as well. He was sentenced to 20 years. November 20: The cases of the youngest defendants, Roy Wright, and Eugene Williams, are moved to Juvenile Court. "[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. December: Patterson is charged with murder after a fight in a bar. Patterson snapped, "I was framed at Scottsboro." Charlie Weems was paroled in 1943 after having been held in prison for a total of 12 years in some of Alabama's worst institutions. "Famous Trials" first appeared on the Web in 1995, making this site older than about 99.97% of all websites. June 22: Pending an appeal to the Alabama Supreme Court, the executions of the nine defendants are stayed. Only four of them had known each other before their arrest. and seven of the boys. 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. Alabama Governor Bibb Graves commuted Norris sentence to life imprisonment in 1938, and denied pardon applications by all five convicted defendants that same year. Patterson pointed at H.G. After a demonstration in Harlem, the Communist Party USA took an interest in the Scottsboro case. 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. He claimed also to have been on top of the boxcar, and that Clarence Norris had a knife. Judge Horton, who had faced no opposition in his previous When he resumed the next morning, he pointed out many contradictions among her various versions of the rape. A group of white teenage boys saw 18-year-old Haywood Patterson on the train and attempted to push him off, claiming that it was "a white man's train". The Ku Klux Klan staked a burning cross in his family yard. [68], Price was not the first hardened witness [Leibowitz] had faced, and certainly not the most depraved. Jack Tiller, another white, said he had had sex with Price, two days before the alleged rapes. Why did the boys get a second set of trials? "[66] The attorney tried to question her about a conviction for fornication and adultery in Huntsville, but the court sustained a prosecution objection. 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. Haywood Patterson's second trial begins in Decatur before judge James Horton. "[118] He attempted to overcome local prejudice, saying "if you have a reasonable doubt, hold out. For the third time a jurynow with one African-American memberreturned a guilty verdict. HISTORY.com works with a wide range of writers and editors to create accurate and informative content. Price testified again that a dozen armed negro men entered the gondola car. https://www.thoughtco.com/timeline-of-scottsboro-boys-45428 (accessed May 1, 2023). The defense called the only witnesses they had had time to find the defendants. Weems, The landmark set of legal cases from this incident dealt with racism and the right to a fair trial. the prosecution asked for life imprisonment. Wallace. of the execution, many of the boys report nightmares or All the jurors agreed on his guilt, but seven insisted on the death sentence while five held out for life imprisonment (in cases like this, that was often an indication that the jurors believed the suspect was innocent but they were unwilling to go against community norms of conviction). [81] Wade Wright added to this, referring to Ruby's boyfriend Lester Carter as "Mr. Caterinsky" and called him "the prettiest Jew" he ever saw. When Judge Horton announced his decision, Knight stated that he would retry Patterson. [16] Courthouse access required a permit due to the salacious nature of the testimony expected. "[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. He was found in 1976 and pardoned by Governor George Wallace. At this point, the International Labor Defense (ILD), the legal wing of the American Communist Party, took on the boys case, seeing its potential to galvanize public opinion against racism. 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. He continued, "These defendants were confined in jail in another county and local counsel had little opportunity to prepare their defense. 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. History, Scottsboro Boys Museum. 30 days. The Scottsboro boys were declared guilty , death by electrocution . The Scottsboro cases are removed from Judge Horton's October: George Wallace, governor of Alabama, pardons Clarence Norris. "[80], Her dramatic and unexpected entrance drew stares from the residents of the courtroom. November 7: In the case of Powell v. Alabama, the Supreme Court ruled that the defendants were denied the right to counsel. Leibowitz was escorted to the train station under heavy guard, and he boarded a train back to New York. Convicted of manslaughter after a barroom brawl in 1951, Patterson died of cancer in 1952. As the second trial began, what happened to Ruby Bates? By letting Leibowitz go on record on this issue, Judge Callahan provided grounds for the case to be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court for a second time. He dies of cancer less than a year later. Ory Dobbins repeated that he'd seen the women try to jump off the train, but Leibowitz showed photos of the positions of the parties that proved Dobbins could not have seen everything he claimed. '"[131], Sheila Washington founded the Scottsboro Boys Museum & Cultural Center in 2010 in Scottsboro. 15 years. and more. Grand jury indicts the nine Scottsboro boys for rape. Clarence Norris, one of nine Black men involved in the Scottsboro case of 15 years, walks through the main cell gate at Kilby Prison in Montgomery, Ala., Sept. 27, 1946, after receiving his parole after serving nine years of a life sentence. and April 9: 13-year-old Roy Wright is also tried. On March 24, 1932, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled against seven of the eight remaining Scottsboro Boys, confirming the convictions and death sentences of all but the 13-year-old Eugene Williams. This court intends to protect these prisoners and any other persons engaged in this trial. "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. (Credit: AP Photo) Outraged by the Supreme Court's interference, Alabama again put the boys on trial. After hearing Following Judge Hawkins' denial of the motions for a new trial, attorney George W. Chamlee filed an appeal and was granted a stay of execution. The pardons granted to the Scottsboro Boys today are long overdue. Trials begin in Scottboro before Judge A. E. Hawkins. In 2013, the state of Alabama issued posthumous pardons for Patterson, Weems, and Andy Wright. 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. 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. convictions "[35], The younger Wright brother testified that Patterson was not involved with the girls, but that nine black teenagers had sex with the girls. Norris Callahan would not allow Leibowitz to ask Price about any "crime of moral turpitude." while It was the basis for the court's finding in Norris v. Alabama (1935), that exclusion of African-American grand jurors had occurred, violating the due process clause of the Constitution. Scheduled maintenance: Thursday, January 26 from 6PM to 7PM PST. Price in [106], Knight declared in his closing that the prosecution was not avenging what the defendants had done to Price. By the evening, the local newspaper, Jackson County Sentinel calls the rape a "revolting crime.". [2], With help from the Communist Party USA (CPUSA) and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the case was appealed. 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. [80], With his eye turned to the southern jury, Knight cross-examined her. 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. 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." The Last of the Scottsboro Boys, in 1979. Judge Callahan cautioned Leibowitz he would not permit "such tactics" in his courtroom. Alan Blinder, Alabama Pardons 3 Scottsboro Boys After 80 Years, New York Times, November 21, 2013. When the case, by now a cause celebre, came back to Judge Hawkins, he granted the request for a change of venue. 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. Graves. "[83], In his closing, Leibowitz called Wright's argument an appeal to regional bigotry, claiming talk about Communists was just to "befuddle" the jury. is dismissed. 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. January 5: A letter written from Bates to her boyfriend is uncovered. It is now widely considered a legal injustice, highlighted by the state's use of all-white juries. Ruby Bates toured for a short while as an ILD speaker. This trial began within minutes of the previous case. NAACP and International Labor Defense (ILD) battle for the A thin smile faded from Patterson's lips as the clerk read his third death sentence. He had heard Price ask Orville Gilley, a white youth, to confirm that she had been raped. the Scottsboro boys. And now they come over here and try to convince you that that sort of thing happened in your neighboring county. 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. . Horton ruled the rest of defendants could not get a fair trial at that time and indefinitely postponed the rest of the trials, knowing it would cost him his job when he ran for re-election. [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.