He kissed us and they took him away," he told The Associated Press in an interview after the announcement. 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. based on information from your browser. After a long legal battle led by the NAACP and a grassroots campaign led by the Civil Rights Congress (CRC), the seven were executed in 1951 on February 2nd and February 5th. 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 . You have permission to edit this article. Box 500 Station A Toronto, ON Canada, M5W 1E6. May you find comfort knowing that life continues forever in heaven even as the memories shared live forever in our hearts. 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. All Rights Reserved. She said her father, her uncle and Hampton's brother visited Hampton at the jail while he was awaiting trial and that Hampton told them they were making him sleep on the cement floor without clothes. Their quick arrest assured the community that stability was being preserved. And the real victim Ruby Stroud Floyd didn't even get a mention from those coon descendants of her rapists ! You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. Prospective jurors in each trial included some blacks, but all 72 jurors selected to try the cases were white. Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. 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. "This is about righting wrongs," Northam said. Virginia Gov. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. "I remember the very day the police came to the door. 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. The last was Grayson, 38, who was pronounced dead at 8:15 that morning. The first man to die in Virginia's electric chair was Henry Smith, a black man who raped an elderly white woman. The mass executions were the largest in Virginia in modern times. They said that the men had been forced into confessing that they had raped Ruby Stroud Floyd, a 32-year-old white woman who had been visiting a predominantly Black section of Martinsville,. cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. 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. You have chosen this person to be their own family member. It was the largest group of people executed for a single-victim crime in Virginia's history. Their trials and the electrocutions became a cause clbre similar to the Scottsboro Case of the 1930s. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. 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. The longest deliberations lasted less than two hours, Rise said. The seven men, ranging in age from 18-37 years old, were arrested in 1949 for the reported rape of 32-year-old Ruby Stroud Floyd, a white woman who lived in Martinsville. 20072023 Blackpast.org. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. But, none was selected for any of the seven juries, as the prosecutors rejected all of them on various grounds. A system error has occurred. Privacy, I Saw Black Spirits & White Spirits Engaged In Battle: The Confessions Of Nat Turner, Black Thens Chocolate Scoop Submit A Scoop-Worthy Story. 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 neighborhood in. While Ruby Stroud Floyd was being treated in hospital after the alleged rape, police arrested six suspects, and two days later a seventh. How To Unsubscribe From Emails and Push Notifications. To use social login you have to agree with the storage and handling of your data by this website. 0 cemeteries found in Duplin County, North Carolina, USA. Their petition does not argue that the men were innocent, but says their trials were unfair and the punishment was extreme and unjust. The seven men, ranging in age from 18-37 years old, were arrested in 1949 for the reported rape of 32-year-old Ruby Stroud Floyd, a white woman who lived in Martinsville. 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 . 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.". If you notice a problem with the translation, please send a message to [emailprotected] and include a link to the page and details about the problem. There were six trials two defendants elected to be tried together held back to back, none of them lasting more than a day. "I don't want to bring that up again.". 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.. 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. 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." Most of the men were between 18 and 20 years old and worked as laborers in small-scale furniture factories and warehouses. Our deepest condolences and heartfelt prayers are with the family and friends. 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. The sentences were carried out in February 1951, the largest group of executions for crimes against a single victim in state history and one of the largest in U.S. history. A prosecutor asked him: "Charlie, do you know what happens to little boys who tell lies when they die?". We have set your language to You can cancel at any time. "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. [2], Judge Kennon Whittle told the attorneys: "this case must and will be tried in such a way as not to disturb the kindly feeling now, locally, existing between the races. Despite the efforts put forth by the NAACP, four of the Martinsville Seven were electrocuted on February 2, 1951. 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 ! "These men were executed because they were Black, and that's not right," Northam said. 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. "These men were executed because they were Black, and that's not right," Northam said. 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. In Martinsville, the executions are no longer a common topic of conversation, but they remain on the minds of many African-Americans. [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. Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. Still, preparations for the executions proceeded. All seven men were convicted and sentenced to death within eight days. "[2] Their concern was ensuring a fair trial.[2]. And the real victim Ruby Stroud Floyd didnt even get a mention from those coon descendants of her rapists ! "Booker T. gave the little colored boy a quarter and told him to go (away)," Hampton told police. A small donation would help us keep this available to all. Are you sure that you want to remove this flower? Another person who wants to learn more is Denise Grayson, 46, of Raleigh, N.C., a granddaughter of Francis Grayson. By the spring of 1949, all seven men were charged with rape. From left to right: Booker T. Millner, Frank Hairston, Howard Lee Hairston, Joe Henry Hampton, John Clabon Taylor, Francis DeSales Grayson, and James Luther Hairston. It's even worse than that. "A white lady and a little colored boy came by and the lady asked where Ruth Pettie lived we all planned to get her when she came back.". Learn about how to make the most of a memorial. 1 ranking in country. He wept when Northam announced he would pardon the men. Northam said some of the defendants were impaired at the time of their arrests or unable to read confessions they signed. A unique soul with a great personality has an amazing sense of humour, diligent and caring. Whittle.[7]. The young men were arrested, interrogated & charged with rape & attempted rape. First published on August 31, 2021 / 3:17 PM. Unanimous juries recommended death sentences at the end of each trial. 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. Your donation is fully tax-deductible. When search suggestions are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. 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. Every single one of the 45 men executed by Virginias electric chair for the crime of rape at that point in time were African American men charged with assaulting white women. Listen to these niggers holding up seven rapists as though they were victims of some kind ! Grayson said she once told her father that she wanted to meet her grandfather. And will be dearly missed by family, friends, and everyone. In December, advocates and descendants of the men asked Northam to issue posthumous pardons. They should not have been executed," he added. Do I see a pattern here? In March, Northam, a Democrat, signed legislation passed by the Democrat-controlled legislature abolishing the state's death penalty. After being questioned by local police officers, the defendants initially confessed to committing or witnessing the crime. 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. Hampton said he, Howard Hairston, Booker T. Millner and Frank Hairston Jr., were drinking wine near some railroad tracks that Saturday night. All of them were tried by all-white juries. All admitted to being present at the crime, including Joe Hampton, although not all took part in rape. Other demonstrations were held in Washington, D.C. in an attempt to convince President Harry S. Truman to interveneagain to no avail. 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 . 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. For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. It is a filthy, sick crime," Hodge-Muse said. The young men with spotty employment records but no real criminal history soon became known as the Martinsville Seven. Here you'll find all collections you've created before. In some cases, they said that the police had written the confessions, that the formal account varied from a handwritten version, and that they had not fully read the police version when signing and did not recognize that their own accounts had been changed. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? Floyd identified two of her rapists as Grayson and Hampton, but she could not identify the others. "It means so much to me," he said of the pardon. 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.". Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option. The Seven were executed at the Virginia State Penitentiary in early February 1951. Here are some dire statistics detailing the horrible "culture" of African Americans: nationwide, blacks are committing crimes at 7 times the rate of whites. All of them were tried by all-White juries. She passed four men at the railroad tracks and continued into the neighborhood, where she was later assaulted by some of those four and other men. Why do libtards treat niggers better than they treat themselves? 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. Four of the men were executed in Virginia's electric chair on February 2, 1951. Among the key witnesses against the men was 11-year-old Charlie Martin. 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. 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. 10 free downloads. The CRC in turn criticized the NAACP for its reliance on a legal strategy that had a dubious chance of success in a southern state where rigid Jim Crow was enforced. 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 remaining three were executed on February 5, 1951. Search above to list available cemeteries. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. There was an error deleting this problem. Another, from China, called the sentence a "barbaric" example of American "fascist hooliganism". Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina, USA. 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. Which memorial do you think is a duplicate of Ruby Floyd (78661616)? 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. It was the largest group of people executed for a single-victim crime in Virginia's history. [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]. 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. State And Regional Martinsville Film To Be Produced By Charlottesville Activist And Uvas Center For Politics. "I remember the very day the police came to the door. 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. It is not known whether Floyd is still alive and if so, where. 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. . John S. Battle to grant clemency to no avail. Residents warned her not to stay too long, noting the time as late afternoon. It was a dramatic shift for Virginia, a state that had the second-highest number of executions in the U.S. This browser does not support getting your location. 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. ). The image is a Civil Rights Congress flyer for a rally in New York City in 1950. Some questioned the accuracy of parts of the confessions, and at least one said he did not have intercourse with Floyd and that he did not see Floyd resist anyone. 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. SHELBY- Annie "Ruby" Raines Stroud, 89, of 329 Reece Road, Shelby, departed this life on April 11, 2015, at Hospice of Wendover. or don't show this againI am good at figuring things out. Each man was charged with rape and aiding and abetting rape both crimes punishable by death at the time. Two weeks after Whittle's warning, the Martinsville defendants were convicted and sentenced to join them. [2] The men were executed in early February. Are you adding a grave photo that will fulfill this request? This was objected to by the NAACP, who feared further backlash because of the CRC's Communist affiliations. If people like George Floyd really did die "simply for being black," how can we doubt that black men in the . The attack occurred in Cherrytown, the black section of Martinsville. It may not display this or other websites correctly. Virginia Gov. [8] Since Virginia started using an electric chair in 1908, all 45 of the men sentenced to death for rape had been black men convicted of raping white women. [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. On the stand, each of the defendants at least partially rejected his confession. Image courtesy of Papers of the Civil Rights Congress. The shortest was little more than half an hour. "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. Howard Lee Hairston, age 20, denied having sex with Floyd. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). Four of the men were executed in Virginia's electric chair on Feb. 2, 1951. Resend Activation Email. Learn more about managing a memorial . 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. The key witnesses against the men were executed in early February executed the... Would pardon the men were arrested, interrogated & amp ; charged with rape and aiding and abetting rape crimes... Amp ; charged with rape and aiding and abetting rape both crimes punishable by at! 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