The Scottsboro Boys
http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/Ftrials/scottsboro/scottsb.htm
1931
Victoria Price
❖
21 years old
❖
“job hunting” or
transporting a teen for
prostitution across state
lines (accounts differ
❖
accused the 9 boys of gang
raping her and Ruby
Ruby Bates
❖
9 months after the first
trial she recanted her
testimony
❖
She spent most of the rest
of her life trying to free
the men she had helped
imprison
Judge William Callahan
❖
Railroaded all nine boys
through their trials
❖
Made it obvious he
thought the boys were
guilty and he would see
that the juries gave guilty
verdicts
Judge James E. Horton
❖
Overturned Haywood
Patterson’s guilty verdict
and death penalty based
on poor medical evidence
❖
He discovered there was
no proof either woman
was raped
❖
He initially assumed the
boys were guilty, but
actually listened during the
trial
Roy Wright
❖
12 years old at the time of
the trial
❖
not guilty due to mistrail
Eugene Williams
❖
guilty verdict overturned
by the Supreme Court
because at the age of 13
“he should not have been
tried as an adult”
❖
the same Supreme Court
upheld the other seven
convictions and death
sentences
Samuel Leibowitz
❖
New defense attorney
❖
Eventually got reduced
sentences and freedom for
four of the boys
Left: The boys under the protection of the National guard.
Top Right: Four of the freed boys. Bottom
Right: The first, incompetent defense team.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4tf7NAeSyI