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". The prosecution, led by Irvin W. Cubine, introduced evidence showing that non-consensual sex took place. You can cancel at any time. [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. And the real victim Ruby Stroud Floyd didnt even get a mention from those coon descendants of her rapists ! Save to an Ancestry Tree, a virtual cemetery, your clipboard for pasting or Print. They argued for lesser sentences, but Battle resisted their pleas. To add a flower, click the Leave a Flower button. Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. Learn about how to make the most of a memorial. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. John Marshall boys basketball reclaims No. Appeals to the Virginia and U.S. supreme courts followed but also failed. They would soon be handling the volatile case of seven black men charged with raping a white woman, and Whittle admonished them that the accused "will be tried as though both parties were members of the same race. Most of the men were between 18 and 20 years old and worked as laborers in small-scale furniture factories and warehouses. "These men were executed because they were Black, and that's not right," Northam said. John S. Battle to grant clemency to no avail. "But to kill them and not even really know that all of them even committed this crime? His signed confession, like those of the others, was read into the record and can be found in the old files. Drag images here or select from your computer for Ruby Stroud Floyd memorial. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. The remaining three were electrocuted on February 5. Their trials and the electrocutions became a cause clbre similar to the Scottsboro Case of the 1930s. The attack occurred in Cherrytown, the black section of Martinsville. Ruby belonged to a predominantly black neighborhood in Martinsville,. The first man to die in Virginia's electric chair was Henry Smith, a black man who raped an elderly white woman. Only one of the accused had a prior criminal record, and most of the men were employed. It is not known whether Floyd is still alive and if so, where. or don't show this againI am good at figuring things out. All they are celebrating is the dismantling of White laws, laws which have held the civilised West together like glue, that once gone will herald the arrival of a new singular law, the law of the jungle the only law niggers know, and which can be perfectly summed up by Crowleys satanic epithet do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law. Floyd identified two of her rapists as Grayson and Hampton, but she could not identify the others. Please if you have any form of concern, suggestions, or query as regards this publication, kindly contact us. "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.". 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Fired RPS employee sues school district, alleges misuse of federal funds. Although the defense attorneys pointed out mitigating circumstances, the juries quickly convicted each defendant and sentenced them to execution in the electric chair. Martin and the NAACP also agreed to represent the men in an appeal for the Seven with the Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals. Audience Relations, CBC P.O. 7 Black men were executed for an alleged rape in 1951. 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. 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. And the real victim Ruby Stroud Floyd didn't even get a mention from those coon descendants of her rapists ! All admitted to being present at the crime, including Joe Hampton, although not all took part in rape. All but one man were in their early 20s. The case attracted national newspaper coverage. Are you adding a grave photo that will fulfill this request? He sobbed loudly when Northam told the family members he would grant the pardons after meeting with them Tuesday. 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. 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. "Booker T. gave the little colored boy a quarter and told him to go (away)," Hampton told police. 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. "I was maybe 10 years old, and it was very, very, very hush-hush," he said. cemeteries found in Duplin County, North Carolina, USA will be saved to your photo volunteer list. *. May you find comfort knowing that life continues forever in heaven even as the memories shared live forever in our hearts. But Northam said Tuesday that the death penalty for rape was applied almost exclusively to Black people. 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 for . This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. Please reset your password. It was not until a 1977 Georgia case that the U.S. Supreme Court ended death sentences for rape, but because the death penalty was a "grossly disproportionate" punishment for rape, and not on the basis of race. Search above to list available cemeteries. 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. Please join us to mourn the passing of Ruby Stroud Floyd. 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. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. He was appalled at the nature of the crime.[2]. Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. No animated GIFs, photos with additional graphics (borders, embellishments. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Bruck said the Martinsville Seven case was the first in which statistics were used in a racial challenge to death sentences. Image courtesy of Papers of the Civil Rights Congress. African American History: Research Guides & Websites, Global African History: Research Guides & Websites, African American Scientists and Technicians of the Manhattan Project, Envoys, Diplomatic Ministers, & Ambassadors, Foundation, Organization, and Corporate Supporters. Virginia Gov. 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. In Richmond, more than 200 people, most wearing black armbands, marched to Capitol Square from a memorial meeting at Third Street Bethel AME Church. "I think I touched a nerve. Please try again later. She was emotionally upset, said the doctor, her underclothing was missing and her coat, dress and slip were "extremely dirty.". Resend Activation Email. The NAACP appeals also noted that since Virginia started use of the electric chair, only black men had been executed for rape in the state for what was a non-lethal crime. Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. Family members linked to this person will appear here. 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. Reached by telephone, she said her family will not talk about her grandfather or what happened. W.F. The Martinsville Seven were a group of young black men executed in 1951 after being convicted of raping a white woman. . 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. You can directly shop your flowers on Amazon. There had been no threats of lynching before the trials and no disturbances after the executions. After being held by police overnight, the first six all signed confessions, implicating themselves and each other. That appeal failed, too, however. It is a filthy, sick crime," Hodge-Muse said. Grayson said he was 4 years old when his father was executed. A small donation would help us keep this available to all. 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. Please subscribe to keep reading. BlackPast.org is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and our EIN is 26-1625373. 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. He kissed us and they took him away," he told The Associated Press in an interview after the announcement. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/78661616/ruby-floyd. In Martinsville, the executions are no longer a common topic of conversation, but they remain on the minds of many African-Americans. "They won't discuss that at all," she said. 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. 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. There were six trials two defendants elected to be tried together held back to back, none of them lasting more than a day. 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. He sobbed loudly when Northam told the family members he would grant the pardons after meeting with them Tuesday. 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 . 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.". The case of the Martinsville Seven was cited during the legislative debate as an example of the disproportionate use of the death penalty against people of color. But, she said, "It's been so long, ain't no need of digging in it now.". 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. Martinsville remained quiet. "The older people all know about it, and it's so hurtful that they don't really want to talk about it. The mass executions were the largest in Virginia in modern times. 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. Try again later. The remaining three were executed on February 5, 1951. Hodge-Muse said it was common knowledge that the victim spent a great deal of time in the black community. Cries and sobs could be heard from some of the descendants after Northam's announcement. 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. When she and the boy returned, Hampton said he grabbed her and the others joined in the assault, according to his confession. GREAT NEWS! They applied the bulk of the funds raised to the defense of clients. The night of Feb. 1, 1951, hundreds of people of both races gathered at the state Capitol to pray. 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. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. But Northam said Tuesday that the death penalty for rape was applied almost exclusively to Black people. "[6], In December 2020, the Martinsville 7 Project asked Virginia Governor Ralph Northam to pardon the Martinsville Seven posthumously and issue an apology. 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. To use this feature, use a newer browser. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. , 1951, hundreds of people of both races gathered at the nature of the crime. 2. Descendants after Northam 's announcement while uploading your photo volunteer list a 501 c. Ensure you have given Find a Grave, if you have what happened to ruby stroud floyd form of concern, suggestions or... As Grayson and Hampton, although not all took part in rape, use a newer browser minds many. Kissed us and they took him away, '' Northam said your clipboard for pasting Print. 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