After being held by police overnight, the first six all signed confessions, implicating themselves and each other. In May, Northamannounced new steps to streamline the pardon process, including increased staff and a new petition portal that allows electronic tracking submission and tracking of pardon requests, CBS affiliate WDBJ reported. She was emotionally upset, said the doctor, her underclothing was missing and her coat, dress and slip were "extremely dirty.". This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. Joe Hampton, 19, and three others took turns raping Ruby Floyd, a 32-year-old white woman. 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. A unique soul with a great personality has an amazing sense of humour, diligent and caring. 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. 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. Forego a bottle of soda and donate its cost to us for the information you just learned, and feel good about helping to make it available to everyone. 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.. Ruby belonged to a predominantly black neighborhood in Martinsville,. Try again later. or don't show this againI am good at figuring things out. 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 relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. An email has been sent to the person who requested the photo informing them that you have fulfilled their request, There is an open photo request for this memorial. Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. By the spring of 1949, all seven men were charged with rape. The seven executed were all workers. Northam announced the pardons after meeting with about a dozen descendants of the men and their advocates. The email does not appear to be a valid email address. "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.". Photos larger than 8Mb will be reduced. Howard Lee Hairston, age 20, denied having sex with Floyd. Persons: howard lee hairston, ruby stroud floyd , liz ryan, frank hairston, james grayson, annie hobson, booker t millner, john battle, mary wade, ruby floyd, james hairston, james luther hairston, frank hairston jr, joe henry hampton. ), As far as Hodge-Muse and many others are concerned, the case "was just such an evil miscarriage of justice.". Virginia Gov. August (1992): 461-490; Eric W. Rise, The Martinsville Seven: Race Rape and Capital Punishment (Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1995). 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. 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. Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. All but one were young and single, and all were employed three in a sawmill, one a plasterer's helper, one a stonecutter and one a foundry man. [2], The officials separated the men. All six juries convicted the young men of rape and recommended the death penalty. 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. 0 cemeteries found in Duplin County, North Carolina, USA. The mass executions were the largest in Virginia in modern times. The longest deliberations lasted less than two hours, Rise said. 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. 2021 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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." Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. "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. Before their executions, protesters picketed at the White House, and the governor's office received letters from around the world asking for mercy. The Martinsville 7 were seven African American men sentenced to death for the rape of a white woman in Virginia. Other demonstrations were held in Washington, D.C., New York and elsewhere in an attempt to convince President Harry S. Truman to interveneagain to no avail. To use this feature, use a newer browser. 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 CRC also had organized an international campaign, and Governor Battle was swamped by letters from overseas asking him to commute the sentences of the men. Required fields are marked *. John Marshall boys basketball reclaims No. 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. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. "The older people all know about it, and it's so hurtful that they don't really want to talk about it. 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. "Thank you, Jesus. It has been stated by several residents of Martinsville, Virginia that Grayson and Floyd were in a sexual relationship. "[6], In December 2020, the Martinsville 7 Project asked Virginia Governor Ralph Northam to pardon the Martinsville Seven posthumously and issue an apology. 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. "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. "It means so much to me," he said of the pardon. The juries were all white and all male. Tony L. Millner, vice president of the Martinsville NAACP chapter, said he was a child when it happened. There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}, Independent Contractor (Newspaper Carrier), Virginia railroad union says safety concerns have been rising amid cost-saving moves, Nebraska cheerleader competes by herself at state competition, but crowd doesn't let her feel alone, Spotsylvania Sheriff's Office ends affiliation with Reelz TV show 'On Patrol: Live', Former Virginia basketball coach Terry Holland dies after battling Alzheimer's. 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. Each were tried and sentenced to death within an eight-day period by all-white juries. Archives Unbound. 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. James Walter Grayson is the son of Francis DeSales Grayson, who was one of the seven. And in the justices' unanimous opinion, as far as the Martinsville Seven case was concerned, "one can hardly conceive of a more atrocious, a more beastly crime.". Blacks makeup 13% of the population but commit the majority of violent crimes in this country. According to historian Eric W. Rise, this case "demonstrated the power of the southern legal system to enforce codes of racial behavior."[2]. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. 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. "They won't discuss that at all," she said. Thank you, Lord," he said, as he wept while being embraced by two other descendants of the men. [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. Eric W. Rise, Race, Rape, and Radicalism: The Case of the Martinsville Seven, 1949-1951. The Journal of Southern History LVIII, no. Mrs. Thurman B. Towill, of Governor Battle's office, looks at stacks of protest letters regarding the Martinsville Seven case. Why do libtards treat niggers better than they treat themselves? Another, from China, called the sentence a "barbaric" example of American "fascist hooliganism". Floyd identified two of her rapists as Grayson and Hampton, but she could not identify the others. He kissed us and they took him away," he told The Associated Press in an interview after the announcement. 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. They were not assigned a lawyer. 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. Now, They Have Been Pardoned", A Year of History: Martinsville Seven executions remain 'a raw wound' for many, "Seeking Justice For The Martinsville Seven", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Martinsville_Seven&oldid=1137887829, Frank Hairston Jr., age 20, confessed to rape, Booker T. Millner, age 22, said he was present, but did not take part. Please enter your email and password to sign in. 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. The last was Grayson, 38, who was pronounced dead at 8:15 that morning. Despite the efforts put forth by the NAACP, four of the Martinsville Seven were electrocuted on February 2, 1951. She also had abrasions on her elbows, forearms, knees, lower legs and thighs. [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. The judge ruled that there was no evidence that discrimination was involved in imposing the Martinsville death sentences. Suggest Edits . The young men with spotty employment records but no real criminal history soon became known as the Martinsville Seven. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. Deputies in Davidson County rushed to help a 69-year-old man they'd found unresponsive in his house following a welfare check. Cries and sobs could be heard from some of the descendants after Northam's announcement. All admitted to being present at the crime, including Joe Hampton, although not all took part in rape. To use social login you have to agree with the storage and handling of your data by this website. 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"It means so much to me," he said of the pardon. After being questioned by local police officers, the defendants initially confessed to committing or witnessing the crime. The campaign included picket lines, post cards and telegrams, a demonstration by hundreds rallying in Richmond to try to persuade 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 Martinsville . Floyd's husband, a local store manager, said she. View Source. John S. Battle. 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. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. The Seven were executed at the Virginia State Penitentiary in early February 1951. In their appeals, Martin and the NAACP discussed the unfairness of the venue, the pressure on later juries to arrive at the same sentence as the earlier ones, and the historical racial disparities in application of death penalty sentences in the state. ", She also asked, "How many black women have been raped in Virginia and nobody has ever been executed?" JavaScript is disabled. 7 Black men executed in 1951 for rape granted posthumous pardons The Martinsville Seven were convicted of raping 32-year-old Ruby Stroud Floyd, a white woman who visited a predominantly Black community in 1949 to collect money for outfits she sold. Within hours, they admitted to having "sex" with Floyd or admitted to watching their friends have intercourse with the thirty-two-year-old. A life so beautifully lived deserves to be beautifully remembered. He wept when Northam announced he would pardon the men. 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