Grayson said she once told her father that she wanted to meet her grandfather. Newly elected Virginia Governor John S. Battle refused their request for clemency. The Wades called an ambulance for her. Suggest Edits Toggle Dropdown. Eric W. Rise, Race, Rape, and Radicalism: The Case of the Martinsville Seven, 1949-1951. The Journal of Southern History LVIII, no. *. The rapes occurred on Saturday, January 8, 1949, after Ruby Stroud Floyd, a 32-year-old white woman, entered a black neighborhood in Martinsville, Virginia, to collect money for clothing she had sold. View Source. Resend Activation Email, Please check the I'm not a robot checkbox, If you want to be a Photo Volunteer you must enter a ZIP Code or select your location on the map. Black men executed in 1951 for the rape of a white woman granted posthumous pardons | CBC News Loaded. A small donation would help us keep this available to all. To use this feature, use a newer browser. Appeals to the Virginia and U.S. supreme courts followed but also failed. The original trial records, including hundreds of pages of transcripts, are on file at the Martinsville Circuit Court clerk's office. The February 10, 1951 national edition of the Afro American headlines the mass execution of the Martinsville 7 in Virginia. He further stated, "We all deserve a criminal justice system that is fair, equal, and gets it rightno matter who you are or what you look like. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. Listen to these niggers holding up seven rapists as though they were victims of some kind ! "I remember the very day the police came to the door. Floyd did not know where the woman lived, so she enlisted the help of 11-year-old Charlie Martin, son of a "colored" woman she knew, to guide her. She attended Palmer Grove Baptist Church where she was honored. Before their executions, protesters picketed at the White House, and the governor's office received letters from around the world asking for mercy. Smyth Jr., the penitentiary superintendent, wrote a succinct response: "No white person has ever been electrocuted in Virginia for the crime of rape; or attempted rape. A unique soul with a great personality has an amazing sense of humour, diligent and caring. Oh boo, fricking hoo look what they do to criminals in their Afreakan homeland. After the verdicts and sentencings, the Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals later rejected a racial-prejudice claim filed on behalf of the Martinsville Seven, ruling that sentences did not, "depend upon the race of the accused, but upon the circumstances, aggravation and enormity of the crime proven in each case." ", She also asked, "How many black women have been raped in Virginia and nobody has ever been executed?" While the NAACP focused on racial equality as part of Cold War American democratic visions, CRC mobilized left-based organizations and newspapers from around the world to pressure state and national officials to intervene. Hampton said he, Howard Hairston, Booker T. Millner and Frank Hairston Jr., were drinking wine near some railroad tracks that Saturday night. The trial transcripts show that on the evening of Saturday, Jan. 8, 1949, Ruby Stroud Floyd, the 32-year-old wife of a department-store manager, entered a black area of the city to collect. Are you sure that you want to remove this flower? He was appalled at the nature of the crime.[2]. Martin A. Martin and other NAACP attorneys defended the men on appeals, attempting to ensure fair trials, set due process precedents, and gain clemency or sentence reductions. All seven men were convicted and sentenced to death within eight days. There was a problem getting your location. Rudolph McCollum Jr., a former Richmond mayor who is the great-nephew of Francis DeSales Grayson and the nephew of another one of the executed men, Booker T. Millner, told Northam the executions represent "a wound that continues to mar Virginia's history and the efforts to move beyond its dubious past." At age 37, World War II veteran Francis DeSales Grayson was the oldest of the defendants. But Northam said Tuesday that the death penalty for rape was applied almost exclusively to Black people. Oops, something didn't work. On January 30, 1951, 400 protesters arrived in Richmond, appealing to Battle on the issue of racial disparity in sentencing. The prosecution, led by Irvin W. Cubine, introduced evidence showing that non-consensual sex took place. Efforts by the defense team to change the trial's venue from the Martinsville Circuit Courton the grounds that sensationalist press about the events made a fair trial impossiblewere unsuccessful. Judge Kennon C. Whittle of the Martinsville Circuit Court granted requests to hold individual trials. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? Floyd identified Grayson and Hampton as her rapists but struggled to identify the others because the attack happened at night. Three days later, the remaining three were also electrocuted. She had previously distributed Jehovah's Witnesses materials in the neighborhood. 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, Virginia, on January 8, 1949, to collect money for clothes she had sold. Your email address will not be published. '", She said her grandmother, Josephine Grayson, now living in Maryland, "will not speak on that at all under (any) circumstances.". August (1992): 461-490; Eric W. Rise, The Martinsville Seven: Race Rape and Capital Punishment (Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1995). For the first time, records were kept at a central location. A presentation of a bouquet of flowers is a special way of showing youre thinking of them and their loss, as the bright colours reflect the personality of the passed loved one. Remove advertising from a memorial by sponsoring it for just $5. The image is a Newspaper Enterprise Association photograph printed in a newspaper that has not been identified. But, she said, "It's been so long, ain't no need of digging in it now.". Their trials and the electrocutions became a cause clbre similar to the Scottsboro Case of the 1930s. The Seven were executed at the Virginia State Penitentiary in early February 1951. The young men with spotty employment records but no real criminal history soon became known as the Martinsville Seven. 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. The first man to die in Virginia's electric chair was Henry Smith, a black man who raped an elderly white woman. You have permission to edit this article. Cries and sobs could be heard from some of the descendants after Northam's announcement. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. 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 . Four of the men testified in their own defence. By using this form you agree with the storage and handling of your data by this website. They were quickly tried in six separate trials (two agreed to be tried together), and each was convicted and sentenced to death. Martin and the NAACP also agreed to represent the men in an appeal for the Seven with the Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals. Do I see a pattern here? The Martinsville 7 were charged with the rape of a white woman, Ruby Stroud Floyd, in a black neighborhood of Martinsville, Virginia on January 8, 1949. A physician who treated Floyd after the attack testified that she suffered a swollen lip, scratches on the back of her neck, the back of her right chest and on her buttocks. Share. While we can't change the past, I hope today's action brings them some small measure of peace.". All they are celebrating is the dismantling of White laws, laws which have held the civilised West together like glue, that once gone will herald the arrival of a new singular law, the law of the jungle the only law niggers know, and which can be perfectly summed up by Crowleys satanic epithet do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law. James Walter Grayson is the son of Francis DeSales Grayson, who was one of the seven. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. All they are celebrating is the dismantling of White laws, laws which have held . 7 Black men were executed for an alleged rape in 1951. The mass executions were the largest in Virginia in modern times. 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. A Year of History: Martinsville Seven executions remain 'a raw wound' for many. Martinsville remained quiet. The case attracted national newspaper coverage. Pickets parade in front of the White House Jan. 30, 1951, in an effort to persuade President Truman to halt execution of seven black men sentenced to death in Virginia on charges of raping a white woman. Floyd's husband, a local store manager, said she. Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. According to historian Eric W. Rise, this case "demonstrated the power of the southern legal system to enforce codes of racial behavior."[2]. "But to kill them and not even really know that all of them even committed this crime? Their trials and the electrocutions became a cause clbre similar to the Scottsboro Case of the 1930s. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The mass executions were the largest in Virginia in modern times. The juries were all white and all male. Baseball legend Jackie Robinson's name misspelled as "Jakie" on road sign, Serena Williams honored at NAACP Image Awards, City, family reach $2 million settlement in Florida fatal police shooting, How these 3 hashtags from Black Twitter changed America, announced new steps to streamline the pardon process. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. The Martinsville 7 were seven African American men sentenced to death for the rape of a white woman in Virginia. Execution of black teen in 1944 shouldn't have occurred, U.S. judge rules, Man freed from prison, over racial bias in jury selection, will not face 7th murder trial, CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices. "It means so much to me," he said of the pardon. On the stand, each of the defendants at least partially rejected his confession. THIS is the harrowing moment vengeful villagers burned to death the alleged ringleader of a violent gang they say had been terrorising them for months. "No one believed they should get off free " she said. 0 cemeteries found in Duplin County, North Carolina, USA. Audience Relations, CBC P.O. The Martinsville 7, seven African American men sentenced to death for the rape of a white woman in Virginia are shown in a group photograph while in prison in 1950. The Associated Press contributed to this report. 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 . Joe Hampton, 19, and three others took turns raping Ruby Floyd, a 32-year-old white woman. 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 neighbourhood in Martinsville, Va., on Jan. 8, 1949, to collect money for clothes she had sold. Virginia Governor 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 Martinsville Seven were not given adequate due process 'simply for being black,' they were sentenced to death for a crime that a white person would not have been executed for 'simply for being black,' and they were killed, by the Commonwealth, 'simply for being black,'" the advocates wrote in their letter to Northam. You are using an out of date browser. Governor Battle listened to their claims but was unwilling to bend on the issue of the Seven, saying: "The prisoners have not been convicted because they are Negroes and should not be released because they are Negroes." There were no black jurors because the prosecution vetoed all potential black jurors. A group of young Black men executed after being convicted by all-White juries of allegedly raping a White woman have been pardoned in Virginia 70 years after their deaths. NAACP lawyers argued on appeal that Virginias legal code was hardly race-neutral since whites convicted of rape seldom if ever received the death penalty. Though they varied somewhat in detail, the accounts of what happened that night from the perpetrators, the victim, Martin and other witnesses in large part agreed. The Martinsville 7 were African-American young men accused of the rape of a white woman, Ruby Stroud Floyd, on January 8, 1949 in Martinsville, Virginia. GREAT NEWS! African American History: Research Guides & Websites, Global African History: Research Guides & Websites, African American Scientists and Technicians of the Manhattan Project, Envoys, Diplomatic Ministers, & Ambassadors, Foundation, Organization, and Corporate Supporters. Most of the men were between 18 and 20 years old and worked as laborers in small-scale furniture factories and warehouses. BlackPast.org is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and our EIN is 26-1625373. The Martinsville Seven were a group of seven African American men from Martinsville, Virginia, who were convicted and executed for raping a white woman in 1949. Every single one of the 45 men executed by Virginias electric chair for rape at that point in time were African American men charged with assaulting white women. It was the largest group of people executed for a single-victim crime in Virginia's history. After a long legal battle led by the NAACP and a grassroots campaign led by the Civil Rights Congress, the seven were executed in 1951 on February 2nd and February 5th. All 45 men executed in Virginias electric chair in 1951 for the crime of rape were black men convicted of assaulting white women. Here are some dire statistics detailing the horrible "culture" of African Americans: nationwide, blacks are committing crimes at 7 times the rate of whites. [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. From left to right: John Clabon Taylor, Joe Henry Hampton, Francis DeSales Grayson, Booker T. Millner, James Luther Hairston, Howard Lee Hairston, and Frank Hairston. And the real victim Ruby Stroud Floyd didnt even get a mention from those coon descendants of her rapists ! Man died Wednesday. Please subscribe to keep reading. The Library of Virginia has the letter from the lawyer, Martin, asking for execution data. Your email address will not be published. Howard Lee Hairston, age 20, denied having sex with Floyd. The seven executed were all workers. It was the largest group of people executed for a single-victim crime in Virginia's history. 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.". Eric W. Rise, author of "The Martinsville Seven, Race, Rape and Capital Punishment" and a professor of criminal justice at the University of Delaware, said prospective black jurors were excused for expressing reservations about the death penalty or struck by prosecutors. [7] From 1908 to 1951, only Texas, North Carolina and Georgia executed more black men for rape than did Virginia. Learn more about merges. In his study on the case, Rise concluded that, "At a time when African-Americans were beginning to assert their civil rights vigorously, the executions provided a stark reminder of the harsh treatment reserved for blacks who violated Southern racial codes.". Virginia Gov. 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. Sorry! Ruby Stroud Floyd accused thirteen black men of raping her while she passed through a poor black neighborhood in Martinsville, Virginia. The group of young men soon got the name The Martinsville Seven. cemeteries found in Duplin County, North Carolina, USA will be saved to your photo volunteer list. The prosecution vetoed all potential black jurors so that all-white and all-male juries heard the cases. Two weeks after Whittle's warning, the Martinsville defendants were convicted and sentenced to join them. [8][16], On August 31, 2021, Governor Ralph Northam posthumously pardoned all seven men. The night of Feb. 1, 1951, hundreds of people of both races gathered at the state Capitol to pray. Please enter valid email address to continue. Virginia would later execute three more men for rape, the last in 1961. Records unavailable at the time of the Martinsville Seven appeals show that from 1626 until 1908, at least three whites and 99 blacks were hanged for rape or attempted rape in Virginia. Floyd identified two of her rapists as Grayson and Hampton, but she could not identify the others. They should not have been executed," he added. The trial transcripts show that on the evening of Saturday, Jan. 8, 1949, Ruby Stroud Floyd, the 32-year-old wife of a department-store manager, entered a black area of the city to collect money owed her by Ruth Pettie, a woman to whom she had sold clothing. Doris Gravely, 80, of Martinsville, a first cousin of Joe Henry Hampton, the first of the seven executed, talked about the case in her living room last month. The campaigns to stop the legal lynching of the Martinsville 7 and Willie McGee in Mississippi were met with red-baiting and gruesome determination by the white elite to protect strict racial codes. "They won't discuss that at all," she said. The "Martinsville Seven" were convicted of raping 32-year-old Ruby Stroud Floyd, who had gone to a predominantly Black neighborhood in Martinsville, Virginia, on Jan. 8, 1949, to collect money for . Despite the letter-writing campaigns, editorials, and local vigils, newly-installed Virginia Governor John S. Battle refused clemency. Other demonstrations were held in Washington, D.C. in an attempt to convince President Harry S. Truman to interveneagain to no avail. "My daddy was Hampton's uncle," she said. In Martinsville, the executions are no longer a common topic of conversation, but they remain on the minds of many African-Americans. The judge presiding was Kennon C. 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. After being held by police overnight, the first six all signed confessions, implicating themselves and each other. They applied the bulk of the funds raised to the defense of clients. A better quality image can be found in the Fight for Racial Justice: the Civil Rights Congress (Gale) that can be accessed online through the D.C. Public Library databases, among other methods. All admitted to being present at the crime, including Joe Hampton, although not all took part in rape. Despite the efforts put forth by the NAACP, four of the Martinsville Seven were electrocuted on February 2, 1951. Two days later, on Sunday, 100 people picketed the White House in Washington, and Josephine Grayson, wife of Francis Grayson, unsuccessfully sought to see President Harry S. Truman. Ruby Stroud Floyd Obituary: In the loving memory of Ruby Stroud Floyd, we are saddened to inform you that Ruby Stroud Floyd, a beloved and loyal friend, has passed away. By early 1951, legal strategies to save the Martinsville Seven were exhausted and the NAACP, joined by the Civil Rights Congress (CRC), turned towards a public relations campaign aimed at commuting the mens death sentences. A system error has occurred. "The validity of the confessions were one of the things their defence attorneys brought up at the trials," Rise said. 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.. I'm grateful to the advocates and families of the Martinsville Seven for their dedication and perseverance. That they could be standing there for photos with those smug looks on their faces like they have something to be proud of is just beyond my comprehension ! In December, advocates and descendants of the men asked Northam to issue posthumous pardons. Together representatives, both black and white, of the CRC and NAACP, as well as other citizens, met with Battle in June 1950 to appeal for a pardon or clemency for the defendants in the case. . "[2] Their concern was ensuring a fair trial.[2]. 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. Resend Activation Email. "Most of the time, the families, the people who were of age in that era, they talked about it in private homes, in churches and other places and always felt as though it was really a serious injustice. [2], The NAACP thought that involvement by the CRC in appeals could endanger the defendants both because of their inflammatory tactics and its communist affiliation. The preliminary hearing occurred about a month later, and the grand jury two months after that. The sponsor of a memorial may add an additional. ). "Thank you, Jesus. "The older people all know about it, and it's so hurtful that they don't really want to talk about it. She was emotionally upset, said the doctor, her underclothing was missing and her coat, dress and slip were "extremely dirty.". NAACP lawyers argued on appeal that Virginias legal code was hardly race neutral, since whites convicted of rape seldom, if ever received the death penalty. After being questioned by local police officers, the defendants initially confessed to committing or witnessing the crime. Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina, USA. They should not have been executed," he added. 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. Are you sure that you want to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive? "Booker T. gave the little colored boy a quarter and told him to go (away)," Hampton told police. One of the convicted men's parents contacted the CRC directly and asked one of its lawyers to defend their son DeSales Grayson. Ruby Stroud Floyd Obituary: In the loving memory of Ruby Stroud Floyd, we are saddened to inform you that Ruby Stroud Floyd, a beloved and loyal friend, has passed away. Julie Ditty Obituary Death: Julie DittyCause Of Death, Lara Loughlin Obituary Death: Lara LoughlinCause Of Death. Learn more about managing a memorial . That they could be standing there for photos with those smug looks on their faces like they have something to be proud of is just beyond my comprehension ! To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. State And Regional Martinsville Film To Be Produced By Charlottesville Activist And Uvas Center For Politics. After being questioned by local police officers, the defendants initially confessed to committing or witnessing the crime. Any monthly plan. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. In 1977 the Supreme Court referred to those arguments with respect to rulings in other cases. This page was last edited on 6 February 2023, at 23:13. Northam has now granted a total of 604 pardons since taking office in 2018, more than the previous nine governors combined, his administration announced Tuesday. You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. I will not have it otherwise.". (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). Use code: FLICKR10. This was objected to by the NAACP, who feared further backlash because of the CRC's Communist affiliations. I suppose that's how the electric nigglet was found innocent too. By the spring of 1949, all seven men were charged with rape. He sobbed loudly when Northam told the family members he would grant the pardons after meeting with them Tuesday. Northam said some of the defendants were impaired at the time of their arrests or unable to read confessions they signed. She said that she had been raped at least 13 times. Which memorial do you think is a duplicate of Ruby Floyd (78661616)? August 31, 2021 / 3:17 PM You need a Find a Grave account to continue. Ralph Northam, left, looks over the. There had been no threats of lynching before the trials and no disturbances after the executions. 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 neighbourhood in. From 1908 when Virginia began using the electric chair to 1951, state records show that all 45 people executed for rape were Black, he said. The photographer is unknown. At the time, all 45 men executed for rape in Virginia since the state began using the electric chair in 1908 were blacks convicted of attacking white women. ), As far as Hodge-Muse and many others are concerned, the case "was just such an evil miscarriage of justice.". JavaScript is disabled. Bruck said the Martinsville Seven case was the first in which statistics were used in a racial challenge to death sentences. [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].
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