Scottsboro Trial vs. TKAM NOTES—PERIOD 5

November 14, 2017

Article # and Title/Date / Key Points / Parallels with TKAM
#1
“Jail Head Asks Troops as Mob Seeks Negroes” Etc.
March 1931 – December 1931 /
  • Based on eight black men accused of attacking/raping two white women on a train.
  • Allegedly black men threw the seven white men who were accompanying the women off the train.
  • One remained and was allegedly beaten unconscious by the black men.
  • White men called the police, and the black men were apprehended at the train station after a fight.
  • Eight black men were sentenced to death.
  • Many black Americans protested/rioted—led to many arrests, injuries, and deaths.
  • Case gained notoriety worldwide—other countries such as Germany joined in the protest.

#2
“Observers Leave Scottsboro Trial”
April 1933 /
  • Defense attorney Mr. Leibowicz delivered a final courtroom statement: My job is to save these innocent boys from death, and I will do my best to see that their safety is not interfered with by propaganda and lies.
  • Haywood Patterson (allegedly leader of the gang) was only one on trial.
  • Some of the “gang” had been in jail because of the trial.
  • Jury was comprised of all white men.
/ Similar to Atticus’ speech
#3
“Girl Repeats Story in Scottsboro Case”
April 1933 /
  • Victoria Price (one of the white women) re-tells her story in the second time the case has gone to court.
  • Claims that she was attacked and beaten by 9 black men, and that she was hit in the head with a pistol.
  • Doctor’s examination only revealed scratches and bruises.
  • Train conductor said that he had not heard any gunshots or screams. He had been in the caboose.
  • Victoria acted aggressively in the courtroom when under questioning. “I’m innocent—they are guilty and need to die!”
  • According to Victoria, the other white girl—Ruby Bates—and she had hopped the train to look for jobs in Chattanooga. Upon their return, that’s when they were attacked.

#4
“Negroes in Riotous March on Broadway Welcome Defender in the Scottsboro Case”
Etc.
April 1933 /
  • Large crowds of Negroes meet at Union Square in NYC to greet Liebowicz, the defense attorney.
  • Police try to disperse the crowd of over 3000. The crowd starts marching down Broadway. Traffic policemen claimed that they were being trampled. Sent a squad to control the crowd. Ends up escalating into a riot with the police vs. the crowd of black Americans.
  • March broke up, but the group reformed in a new location uptown and met the police one more time.
  • NAACP was accused of bringing Communist politics into the case.

#5
“Leibowitz in Harlem Stirs 4000 by Plea” April 1933
AND
“Young Scottsboro Lad”
July 1935 /
  • Eugene Williams—the youngest defendant at the age of 13 when sentenced—was imprisoned for four years.
  • His sentence was reversed because he had not been tried in a juvenile court.
  • Williams family was extremely poor, so Eugene’s imprisonment concerned him because his family could barely support themselves.
  • Eugene was essentially brought up in jail. The trial destroyed his morale.
  • Eugene’s mother was appreciative of Liebowicz’s work to seek justice and free the defendants.
  • Trial would have cost $1000’s of dollars, but Liebowicz took the case pro bono (for free).

#6
“Roosevelt Asked to Intervene”
Etc.
November 1933 /
  • At the beginning of the trial, no press was allowed in the courthouse.
  • Alabama State Government considered sending troops to protect the attorneys, all those in the courtroom, etc. , but did not after all.
  • Threats from Communist sympathizers against the judge.
  • Case was basically black men’s word against the white woman’s word.
  • “Hobo” named “Gilley” was a witness for the prosecution. He said that he had not heard any shots, even though Victoria said there had been three shots fired.
  • In the previous appeal case, the judge had been a racist who said that they should send all black men in general to the electric chair.
  • Other named plaintiff, Ruby Bates, could not testify due to surgery.

#7
“Scottsboro Case goes to the Jury”
Etc.
January 1936 /
  • Fourth time Hayward Patterson was on trial.
  • Denied many times that he had touched Victoria or Ruby or that he had seen the women on the train.
  • Jury finds him guilty and sentences him to 75 years.
  • Defense team fights it, and the trial is deferred to New Jersey with a new jury.
  • One of the “gang” members was shot while trying to break out of the transport vehicle taking them from one jail to another.