"I won't talk about that," Martin said. "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. The longest deliberations lasted less than two hours, Rise said. Judge Kennon C. Whittle of the Martinsville Circuit Court granted requests to hold individual trials. [14], After exhausting the appeals process, with the US Supreme Court twice declining to hear the case, the NAACP and CRC began to appeal to executive offices. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Enter your account data and we will send you a link to reset your password. By the spring of 1949, all seven men were charged with rape. Suggest Edits . August (1992): 461-490; Eric W. Rise, The Martinsville Seven: Race Rape and Capital Punishment (Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1995). For more information and other images, see www.flickr.com/photos/washington_area_spark/sets/72157643 Photo by Washington Daily News. Family members linked to this person will appear here. 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. Mrs. He sobbed loudly when Northam told the family members he would grant the pardons after meeting with them Tuesday. 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. 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 . Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option. The Martinsville 7 were seven African American men convicted of raping a white woman in 1949. The night of Feb. 1, 1951, hundreds of people of both races gathered at the state Capitol to pray. Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. For a PDF of this 8 x 11, one-sided, flyer, see washingtonspark.files.wordpress.com/2019/12/1950-11-08-ma For more information and related images, see flic.kr/s/aHsjWUExj5. Most of the men were between 18 and 20 years old and worked as laborers in small-scale furniture factories and warehouses. James Walter Grayson is the son of Francis DeSales Grayson, who was one of the seven. The seven men, most in their late teens or early 20s, were: Grayson, Millner, Frank Hairston Jr.; Howard Lee Hairston; James Luther Hairston; Joe Henry Hampton; and John Clabon Taylor. Image courtesy of Papers of the Civil Rights Congress. Make sure that the file is a photo. Another who believes the past is best left alone is Charlie Martin, the young boy who accompanied the victim and repeatedly testified at the trials. And the real victim Ruby Stroud Floyd didn't even get a mention from those coon descendants of her rapists ! Cries and sobs could be heard from some of the descendants after Northam's announcement. Ralph Northam, left, looks over the. All six juries convicted the young men of rape and recommended the death penalty. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/78661616/ruby-floyd. [2][13] The CRC began to organize mass actions in Richmond. 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. Include gps location with grave photos where possible. According to historian Eric W. Rise, this case "demonstrated the power of the southern legal system to enforce codes of racial behavior."[2]. Among the key witnesses against the men was 11-year-old Charlie Martin. The image is a Newspaper Enterprise Association photograph printed in a newspaper that has not been identified. Three days later, the remaining three were also electrocuted. The Associated Press contributed to this report. The preliminary hearing occurred about a month later, and the grand jury two months after that. 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. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. Despite the efforts put forth by the NAACP, four of the Martinsville Seven were electrocuted on February 2, 1951. 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. All seven men signed statements admitting they were present during the attack, but they had no access to their parents or attorneys at the time, Rise said. Your email address will not be published. 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. Thank you, Lord," he said, as he wept while being embraced by two other descendants of the men. The campaign included picket lines, post cards and telegrams, a demonstration by hundreds rallying in Richmond to try to persuade Gov. This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. The photographer is unknown. 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. 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. At 7:30p.m., after dark, she went to Mary Wade's house for shelter, showing signs of an assault. [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. "I was maybe 10 years old, and it was very, very, very hush-hush," he said. The Civil Rights Congress defended the men originally, and later conducted two marches and other attempts to raise awareness and conduct a public campaign on behalf of their agenda. 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. The mass executions were the largest in Virginia in modern times. Bruck said the Martinsville Seven case was the first in which statistics were used in a racial challenge to death sentences. [2], Rise says that the white community disdained Ruby Floyd for her missionary work with the Jehovah's Witnesses and for her willingness to enter the black part of Martinsville. 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. *. Floyd identified two of her rapists as Grayson and Hampton, but she could not identify the others. Martinsville remained quiet. Before their executions, protesters picketed at the White House, and the governor's office received letters from around the world asking for mercy. This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. 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 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. [15] It is the largest execution for rape charges in the United States. Do I see a pattern here? When the NAACP appealed their convictions, its defense team noted that when the police had questioned the men, they had been drinking for some time, and they were not allowed to consult lawyers or their families. On January 31, a mass demonstration of over 400 took place in Richmond to demand a halt to the planned executions despite the virulent racist opposition of many white supremacists. At the time of their arrest, all but one were between the ages of 18 and 23. I'm grateful to the advocates and families of the Martinsville Seven for their dedication and perseverance. Grayson said she once told her father that she wanted to meet her grandfather. 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. In advance of a large planned CRC demonstration in the state capital, Governor Battle doubled the capital guard and alerted the state militia. Any monthly plan. In 1977 the Supreme Court referred to those arguments with respect to rulings in other cases. The judge presiding was Kennon C. A life so beautifully lived deserves to be beautifully remembered. 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". After being held by police overnight, the first six all signed confessions, implicating themselves and each other. All photos uploaded successfully, click on the Done button to see the photos in the gallery. [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]. The sponsor of a memorial may add an additional. It was the largest mass execution for rape that had been reported in the United States. MARTINSVILLE -- On April 19, 1949, Judge Kennon Whittle addressed prosecutors and defense lawyers gathered in his second-floor chambers of the Henry County courthouse. Which memorial do you think is a duplicate of Ruby Floyd (78661616)? The seven men, most in their late teens or early 20s, were: Grayson, Frank Hairston Jr.; Howard Lee Hairston; James Luther Hairston; Joe Henry Hampton; Booker Millner; and John Clabon Taylor. 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 . All 45 men executed in Virginias electric chair in 1951 for the crime of rape were black men convicted of assaulting white women. 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. Thanks for your help! Eric W. Rise, Race, Rape, and Radicalism: The Case of the Martinsville Seven, 1949-1951. The Journal of Southern History LVIII, no. 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. 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. Martin and the NAACP also agreed to represent the men in an appeal for the Seven with the Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals. This flower has been reported and will not be visible while under review. The last was Grayson, 38, who was pronounced dead at 8:15 that morning. 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. %privacy_policy%. There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery. "[2] The prosecution did not explicitly discuss race; it argued the case based on the "preservation of community stability, not the protection of southern womanly virtues,"[2] as had formerly been common. [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. 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. Try again later. 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.. How To Unsubscribe From Emails and Push Notifications. But the remaining three men were executed on Monday, Feb. 5. Hundreds stayed in Richmond for a prayer vigil until the executions took place. The Martinsville 7, seven African American men sentenced to death for the rape of a white woman in Virginia are shown on a flyer published by the Civil Rights Congress in 1950. Three days later, the remaining three were also electrocuted. Are you sure that you want to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive? Before their executions, protesters picketed at the White House, and the governor's office received letters from around the world asking for mercy. In December, advocates and descendants of the men asked Northam to issue posthumous pardons. 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. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. It was the largest group of people executed for a single-victim crime in Virginia's history. Niggers are HARDWIRED TO SELF-DESTRUCT . W.F. 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. 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. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. Appeals to the Virginia and U.S. supreme courts followed but also failed. Northam said some of the defendants were impaired at the time of their arrests or unable to read confessions they signed. "Thank you, Jesus. [2], The trials were held back to back, each with a separate jury of twelve white men. 2021 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. When the cheerleading coach broke the news to Katrina Kohel that she was the only one left on the cheer squad, Kohel was determined to compete anyway. Whittle.[7]. You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. I suppose that's how the electric nigglet was found innocent too. View Source. [8][16], On August 31, 2021, Governor Ralph Northam posthumously pardoned all seven men. John Marshall boys basketball reclaims No. All admitted to being present at the crime, including Joe Hampton, although not all took part in rape. The shortest was little more than half an hour. Cause of death Details of the circumstance surrounding our beloved, Ruby Stroud Floyddeath is not public yet, we will share more as we learn. New York, Today: On January 8, 1949, from the dingy negro slums of Martinville, Virginia, staggered attractive, dark-haired Mrs. Ruby Stroud Floyd (32), shouting that she . First published on August 31, 2021 / 3:17 PM. Use code: FLICKR10. Racism was less explicit in the trial than in cases known as "legal lynchings" in the South, in which innocent men were convicted (e.g., the Scottsboro Boys, Willie McGee), and the Groveland Boys. Did You Know That Disney Released A Cartoon Featuring A Freed Slave As The Hero? "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. Be beautifully remembered pardons after what happened to ruby stroud floyd with them Tuesday on February 2, 1951 was very, very very! Men asked Northam to issue posthumous pardons and it was the first in which were! Possible based on lifespan dates back to back, each with a separate jury of white! Being held by police overnight, the first six all signed confessions, implicating and. 7:30P.M., after dark, she went to Mary Wade 's house for shelter showing! And will not be visible while under review & # x27 ; even... 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