Oops, something didn't work. 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. [2] The NAACP did not want the CRC to participate in the litigation directly. The first four were executed at 15-minute intervals on February 2. Cries and sobs could be heard from some of the descendants after Northam's announcement. 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. 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. Thank you, Lord," he said, as he wept while being embraced by two other descendants of the men. Remove advertising from a memorial by sponsoring it for just $5. At the time, rape was a capital offense. 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 case attracted national newspaper coverage. Ruby belonged to a predominantly black neighborhood in Martinsville,. Ruby Stroud Floyd always brought light to every room entered. In addition, each of the jury pools for the six separate trials contained some African Americans. He said none of the men had attorneys present while they were interrogated. According to historian Eric W. Rise, this case "demonstrated the power of the southern legal system to enforce codes of racial behavior."[2]. The seven were charged with the rape of Ruby Stroud Floyd in a black neighborhood of Martinsville, Virginia on January 8, 1949. Appeals to the Virginia and U.S. supreme courts followed but also failed. Are you sure that you want to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive? Footage too graphic to publish shows the man . The seven were charged with the rape of Ruby Stroud Floyd in a black neighborhood of Martinsville, Virginia on January 8, 1949. or don't show this againI am good at figuring things out. Despite the letter-writing campaigns, editorials, and local vigils, newly-installed Virginia Governor John S. Battle refused clemency. It was the largest mass execution for rape that had been reported in the United States. . Try again later. The young men were arrested, interrogated & charged with rape & attempted rape. 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. "These men were executed because they were Black, and that's not right," Northam said. A prosecutor asked him: "Charlie, do you know what happens to little boys who tell lies when they die?". Year should not be greater than current year. ). Audience Relations, CBC P.O. Please enter valid email address to continue. In 1908, Virginia became the fifth state in the U.S. to use the electric chair, and executions were carried out by the Virginia Department of Corrections at the State Penitentiary in Richmond. A life so beautifully lived deserves to be beautifully remembered. 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. 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. "This is about righting wrongs," Northam said. All they are celebrating is the dismantling of White laws, laws which have held . [8][16], On August 31, 2021, Governor Ralph Northam posthumously pardoned all seven men. There were no black jurors because the prosecution vetoed all potential black jurors. After being questioned by local police officers, the defendants initially confessed to committing or witnessing the crime. 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 original trial records, including hundreds of pages of transcripts, are on file at the Martinsville Circuit Court clerk's office. Ruby Stroud Floyd always brought light to every room entered. Learn more about merges. The young men with spotty employment records but no real criminal history soon became known as the Martinsville Seven. All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. This is a carousel with slides. Box 500 Station A Toronto, ON Canada, M5W 1E6. One of the convicted men's parents contacted the CRC directly and asked one of its lawyers to defend their son DeSales Grayson. Why the Crusade on the Martinsville Seven: 1950. washingtonspark.files.wordpress.com/2019/12/1950-11-08-ma Martinsville 7 They shall not die: 1950, Martinville 7, subject of death penalty protests, later executed: 1950, Demand No Execution of Martinsville 7: 1951. www.flickr.com/photos/washington_area_spark/sets/72157643 Afro Headlines Martinsville, Va. Mass Executions: 1951, Freezing pickets call for Martinsville 7 clemency: 1951. Although the defense attorneys pointed out mitigating circumstances, the juries quickly convicted each defendant and sentenced them to execution in the electric chair. August 31, 2021 / 3:17 PM "Thank you, Jesus. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. The Seven were executed at the Virginia State Penitentiary in early February 1951. All seven men were convicted and sentenced to death within eight days. Three days later, the remaining three were also electrocuted. 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. The night of Feb. 1, 1951, hundreds of people of both races gathered at the state Capitol to pray. Judge Kennon C. Whittle of the Martinsville Circuit Court granted requests to hold individual trials. Two of the men were tried together. Some of the defendants acknowledged having sexual intercourse with Floyd, but said that it was consensual, or that she did not resist or say no, either considered necessary as a condition to prove rape. 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 mass executions were the largest in Virginia in modern times. Privacy, I Saw Black Spirits & White Spirits Engaged In Battle: The Confessions Of Nat Turner, Black Thens Chocolate Scoop Submit A Scoop-Worthy Story. Thanks for your help! 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.". Mrs. While we can't change the past, I hope today's action brings them some small measure of peace. At the time of their arrest, all but one was between the ages of 20 and 23. Grayson said she once told her father that she wanted to meet her grandfather. ", The lawyers used the figures in their clemency petition to Gov. The victim of the rape recounted in The Martinsville Seven was Ruby Stroud Floyd, a thirty-two year old housewife who had moved to Martinsville with her husband, Glenn Floyd, a department store manager, only four years prior to the attack. Save to. He sobbed loudly when Northam told the family members he would grant the pardons after meeting with them Tuesday. On the stand, each of the defendants at least partially rejected his confession. 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." This was objected to by the NAACP, who feared further backlash because of the CRC's Communist affiliations. Their quick arrest assured the community that stability was being preserved. They noted the assaults of Floyd had no evidence of homicidal intent. 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. Their petition does not argue that the men were innocent, but says their trials were unfair and the punishment was extreme and unjust. On 8 January 1949, 32-year-old Ruby Stroud Floyd was out collecting money for some clothes she had recently sold. This flower has been reported and will not be visible while under review. Before their executions, protesters picketed at the White House, and the governor's office received letters from around the world asking for mercy. Floyd identified Grayson and Hampton as her rapists but struggled to identify the others because the attack happened at night. She also had abrasions on her elbows, forearms, knees, lower legs and thighs. Blacks makeup 13% of the population but commit the majority of violent crimes in this country. 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. Why do libtards treat niggers better than they treat themselves? "It is worthy of note that none of the defendants claimed that promises or threats were made by anyone before the confessions were signed," he wrote. 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. Black men executed in 1951 for the rape of a white woman granted posthumous pardons | CBC News Loaded. 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. The Wades called an ambulance for her. Their trials and the electrocutions became a cause clbre similar to the Scottsboro Case of the 1930s. The Civil Rights Congress and the Virginia Committee to Save the Martinsville Seven publish a flyer November 8, 1950 explaining why the Virginia case of seven black men sentenced to death was important for the fight against white supremacy. All of them were tried by all-White juries. The last was Grayson, 38, who was pronounced dead at 8:15 that morning. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. He said none of the men had attorneys present while they were interrogated. 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. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. Now they've been pardoned | CNN, Shocking moment thief is burned to death by villagers who say he led a violent gang. A system error has occurred. Cries and sobs could be heard from some of the descendants after Northam's announcement. Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? Hundreds stayed in Richmond for a prayer vigil until the executions took place. Although it was dark, Floyd testified in all six trials identifying each of the seven. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. "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. Try again later. 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. The seven executed were Francis Grayson, James L. Hairston, John Claybon Taylor, Frank Hairston, Jr., Booker T. Millner, Howard Lee Hairston and Joe Henry Hampton. Be visible while under review and Hampton as her rapists but struggled to identify the because. Largest in Virginia in modern times is an ongoing project that Virginias legal code hardly. 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