Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again. 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. [9][10] An editorial in New York's Amsterdam News read, When we consider the fact that in the entire history of the Old Dominion state, no white man has ever received capital punishment for rape, then of necessity we must conclude that the death penalty for seven men for a singular crime was neither righteous, nor compassionate, nor wise. He wept when Northam announced he would pardon the men. The seven were charged with the rape of Ruby Stroud Floyd in a black neighborhood of Martinsville, Virginia on January 8, 1949. You must log in or register to reply here. According to historian Eric W. Rise, this case "demonstrated the power of the southern legal system to enforce codes of racial behavior."[2]. The first man to die in Virginia's electric chair was Henry Smith, a black man who raped an elderly white woman. Judge Kennon C. Whittle of the Martinsville Circuit Court granted requests to hold individual trials. 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 . Washington and Lee University law professor David Bruck said that even if the trials were fair and the men guilty, "the idea that you could have a 45-to-nothing ratio and that does not prove anything tells you that this was simply a judicial system that was not prepared to do the right thing.". "Their punishment did not fit the crime. The remaining three were electrocuted on February 5. http://revcom.us/a/098/martinsville7-en.html, http://www.blackpast.org/aah/martinsville-seven-1949-1951. While we can't change the past, I hope today's action brings them some small measure of peace.". / CBS/AP. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. 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. Learn about how to make the most of a memorial. 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. 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. 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. We have set your language to 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. Try again later. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. Why Movieland says you have to be 17 to attend a movie after 7:30 p.m. Ashland dairy farm announces Farmview Creamery to help modernize business, Farmville native caught with 42 lbs of cocaine, $862K in drug money gets 17 years, Diablo Doughnuts dishes up Unicorn Farts and more yeast doughnuts in Glen Allen, Norment, long among the most powerful in the Capitol, is retiring, Bezos 'ban' may speed up Commanders sale as league meeting looms, Mechanicsville man charged with 10 child porn counts, Millions at Risk of Slipping Into Poverty as COVID-Era SNAP Benefits Set to End, More than 300 words have been added to the English dictionary, Citizens travel to Peru's capitol Lima to protest against Boluarte, Russia accuses U.S. of intent to use chemical weapons in Ukraine. I'm grateful to the advocates and families of the Martinsville Seven for their dedication and perseverance. "We all deserve a criminal justice system that is fair, equal, and gets it rightno matter who you are or what you look like. Virginia Gov. Please reset your password. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). Martin and his uncle later testified that the uncle warned Floyd not to make the trip in the dark. Oh boo, fricking hoo look what they do to criminals in their Afreakan homeland. The" Martinsville Seven," as the men became known, were all convicted of raping 32-year-old Ruby Stroud Floyd, a white woman on Jan. 8, 1949. Try again later. The shortest was little more than half an hour. There were no black jurors because the prosecution vetoed all potential black jurors. View Source. You can directly shop your flowers on Amazon. "But we don't really know what happened.". In this period of the second Red Scare, Senator Joseph McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee had raised alarms about purported communist influence in government and society. Before their executions, protesters picketed at the White House, and the governor's office received letters from around the world asking for mercy. Audience Relations, CBC P.O. 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. "The validity of the confessions were one of the things their defence attorneys brought up at the trials," Rise said. You can cancel at any time. Every single one of the 45 men executed by Virginias electric chair for rape at that point were African American men charged with assaulting white women. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. But on July 24, 1950, Battle turned them down, writing: "No fair minded person can read the evidence in these cases without being convinced, beyond the shadow of a doubt, of the guilt of all the defendants.". [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. In March, Northam, a Democrat, signed legislation passed by the Democrat-controlled legislature abolishing the state's death penalty. Ruby Stroud Floyd always brought light to every room entered. Previous actions by civil rights attorneys had resulted in changes in the Virginia process, improving their procedures. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. In December, advocates and descendants of the men asked Northam to issue posthumous pardons. [8] The day before the youngest of the seven was executed, he said, "God knows I didn't touch that woman and I'll see y'all on the other side. At the time, rape was a capital offense. 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. Privacy, I Saw Black Spirits & White Spirits Engaged In Battle: The Confessions Of Nat Turner, Black Thens Chocolate Scoop Submit A Scoop-Worthy Story. Other prosecution witnesses included Grayson's wife, Josephine, who also testified for the defense in some of the cases; a sister of one of the defendants; and a black woman who assisted Floyd after the attack. First published on August 31, 2021 / 3:17 PM. The mass executions were the largest in Virginia in modern times. [2], The officials separated the men. Try again. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Failed to remove flower. Learn more about managing a memorial . The Wades called an ambulance for her. Within hours, they admitted to having "sex" with Floyd or admitted to watching their friends have intercourse with the thirty-two-year-old. Courtesy of the D.C. Public Library Washington Star Collection Washington Post. Grayson said he was 4 years old when his father was executed. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. "Thank you, Jesus. "It's such a raw wound," said Naomi Hodge-Muse, president of the Martinsville chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. 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. Prospective jurors in each trial included some blacks, but all 72 jurors selected to try the cases were white. Remove advertising from a memorial by sponsoring it for just $5. 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. Please enter your email and password to sign in. "This is about righting wrongs," Northam said. Northam said some of the defendants were impaired at the time of their arrests or unable to read confessions they signed. "It means so much to me," he said of the pardon. Their petition does not argue that the men were innocent, but says their trials were unfair and the punishment was extreme and unjust. Grayson said she once told her father that she wanted to meet her grandfather. All of them were tried by all-white juries. John S. Battle to grant clemency to no avail. Any monthly plan. "Their punishment did not fit the crime. This page was last edited on 6 February 2023, at 23:13. August (1992): 461-490; Eric W. Rise, The Martinsville Seven: Race Rape and Capital Punishment (Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1995). It is not known whether Floyd is still alive and if so, where. She had previously distributed Jehovah's Witnesses materials in the neighborhood. 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. "This is about righting wrongs," Northam said. or don't show this againI am good at figuring things out. Four of the seven testified at their own trials. He kissed us and they took him away," he told The Associated Press in an interview after the announcement. The Martinsville 7 were seven African American men sentenced to death for the rape of a white woman in Virginia. And the real victim Ruby Stroud Floyd didn't even get a mention from those coon descendants of her rapists ! Save to. Defense lawyers argued that Floyd had consented to sexual intercourse by failing to forcibly resist the men and that the initial confessions were forced by the local sheriff. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. James Walter Grayson is the son of Francis DeSales Grayson, who was one of the seven. The mass executions were the largest in Virginia in modern times. 10 free downloads. Four of the men testified in their own defence. State And Regional Martinsville Film To Be Produced By Charlottesville Activist And Uvas Center For Politics. GREAT NEWS! For more information and other images, see www.flickr.com/photos/washington_area_spark/sets/72157643 Photo by Washington Daily News. Two of the men were tried together. 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. ), As far as Hodge-Muse and many others are concerned, the case "was just such an evil miscarriage of justice.". "I was maybe 10 years old, and it was very, very, very hush-hush," he said. You may not upload any more photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 20 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 5 photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 30 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 15 photos to this memorial. MARTINSVILLE -- On April 19, 1949, Judge Kennon Whittle addressed prosecutors and defense lawyers gathered in his second-floor chambers of the Henry County courthouse. This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. Only one of the accused had a prior criminal record, and most of the men were employed. The pardons do not address the guilt or innocence of the men, but Northam said the pardons are an acknowledgement that they did not receive due process and received a "racially-biased death sentence not similarly applied to white defendants.". You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. ). This browser does not support getting your location. Oops, something didn't work. In denying appeals to commute the Martinsville 7 death sentences, Virginias Governor John S. Battle said, that the wave of messages that flooded his desks was cosponsored by the Civil Rights Congress and the Communist Party. Niggers are HARDWIRED TO SELF-DESTRUCT . Their trials and the electrocutions became a cause clbre similar to the Scottsboro Case of the 1930s. During the eleven-day trials, juries 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. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Three days later, the remaining three were also electrocuted. "This was the Jim Crow South; this was prior to the civil-rights movement why would she be there," she asked. But Northam said Tuesday that the death penalty for rape was applied almost exclusively to Black people. A Year of History: Martinsville Seven executions remain 'a raw wound' for many. 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. The NAACP appeals also noted that since Virginia started use of the electric chair, only black men had been executed for rape in the state for what was a non-lethal crime. Family members linked to this person will appear here. Cries and sobs could be heard from some of the descendants after Northam's announcement. 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. The young men with spotty employment records but no real criminal history soon became known as the Martinsville Seven. In 1866, the state legislature changed the law so that execution remained an option for both races in rape cases. All Rights Reserved. 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. "But to kill them and not even really know that all of them even committed this crime? At the time of their arrest, all but one was between the ages of 20 and 23. There was a problem getting your location. The night of Feb. 1, 1951, hundreds of people of both races gathered at the state Capitol to pray. 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. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. BlackPast.org is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and our EIN is 26-1625373. 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. But Hodge-Muse, Millner and others also believe that not all the facts came out during the trials and that there are many unanswered questions. 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. The seven executed were all workers. 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.. Oops, some error occurred while uploading your photo(s). Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. On the stand, each of the defendants at least partially rejected his confession. Search above to list available cemeteries. The campaign included picket lines, a demonstration by hundreds rallying in Richmond to try to persuade Gov. [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 must be tried as though both parties were members of the same race. His signed confession, like those of the others, was read into the record and can be found in the old files. 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 Court of Appeals upheld the rulings on March 13, 1950, with Chief Justice Edward W. Hudgins writing: "one can hardly conceive of a more atrocious, a more beastly crime". In December, advocates and descendants of the men asked Northam to issue posthumous pardons. There was an error deleting this problem. At the time, rape was a capital offence. Based on her account, in which she claimed to have been raped by 13 black men,[3] the police quickly arrested Frank Hairston Jr. and Booker Millner. Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. Law so that execution remained an option for both races gathered at the trials, '' he said C.! 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