
February 2016
Team
Luther Wright, Jr., Captain
Charles Grant, liaison
Susan Neal Dickerson
Jimmie Lynn Ramsaur
Ashley Romanis
Alexis Soler
Bill Young
Rob McGuire
Sara Reynolds
Justin Seamon
Clayton Wiggins
"Please tell all the young mens to try hard and not to go to prison for my
sakes."
-- April 1944
Born: 1911 (Chattanooga, Tennessee)
Age at arrest: 20
Years in confinement: 12
Released: November 1943 (paroled)
"Sorry about my last letter -- hope it didn't make you angry.
Didn't mean any harm whatever. only telling you how I felt towards you
and what's more I could not help it."
-- Letter to the International Labor Defense apologizing for a frustrated outburst,
December 1936
Born: 1918
Age at arrest: 13
Years in confinement: 6
Released: July 1937 (state dropped charges)
"I'd rather die than spend another day in jail for something I didn't do."
-- after getting 75 years, rather than the requested death sentence, January 24,
1936
Born: 1913 (Elberton, Georgia)
Age at arrest: 18
Years in confinement: 16
Escaped to Michigan in July 1947
Hometown: Georgia
Age at arrest: 19 Years Old
Years in confinement: Approx. 15 Years
Number of trials/convictions: Sentenced 3 times to death
Hometown: Columbus, GA
Age at arrest: 16 Years Old
Years in confinement: Over 6 Years
Number of trials/convictions: 1
Hometown: Monroe, GA
Age at arrest: 17 Years Old
Years in confinement: Over 6 Years
Number of trials/convictions: 1
Born: 1916 near Atlanta, GA
Age at arrest: 15 (about one year after Powell left
home)
Years in confinement: 15
Released on parole: June 1946.
Born: 1912 in Chattanooga, TN
Age at arrest: 19.
Years in confinement: 19
Released: January 1944.
Died: 1959.
Born: 1918
Age at arrest: 13. Roy was just 13
when he left home with older brother to look
for work.
Years in confinement: 6
Release on parole:. July 1937.
Died: 1959.
My dearest workers I receive your letter and
was glad to here from you all and all so the
money and I will be glad when I can be abll to
see you all and when you here from mother
tell I say hurry up I want to see her bad and
all so your all so I will clos my letter but not
be hard amis you.
My dear mother:
I received you letter and was glad to hear
from you it found me well and getting along just
fine and I do hope when these few lines are yours
they will fine you and all OK. now mather Mr.
Chamlee was here Sunday to see us and mather
since the people of the I.L.D. are going to give you
all a little Money to buy us our Christmas I am
sending you a list of what want you I to bring me
to bring me when you came. and if they don't do
that I do hope that you will be able to get much of
this as you can. Because last Christmas I didn't have
nothing wurth a dime and I do hope to enjoy this
one the best way possiable.
and don't forget to brang that Belt and brang
little sister with you to so I will close now this
is what I want you to brang me
1 coconut 2 nice cakes chocolate and coconut.
I pond of mix nuts a dozen of apples a dozen
of oranges a dozen of bananas. And candy. 3
blocks of grape chewing gum. 2 pairs of socks.
And some cheese. and some fried rabbit and
sausage. and some fried potato pies. and some
sauce meat. and some rex-all tooth paste and
some stamps envelopes and tablet.
Dear Anna
Just a few lines to let you hear from me this
leave me worried. Listen Anna I Want me a
six string guitar and I want it rite now please.
Listen take all of my $8.00 and get me a six
string guitar of course I will need a few
smokes but I will do without out. Because I
want me a six string guitar and must have
one. I want to make some recards I coud
make at least one recard here in jail. You all
want do nothing to help me. I wrote you and
Begged you like a dog to send me one and you
wouldn’t even answer my letter.
But that’s alright. Just take my next $8.00
and get me one. Don’t get such a large one if
you can help it. You can get some small six
string guitars and send it rite away please I
need it. If I live I am going to Be the Blues
king. I want to surprise every Body some day.
Anna please don’t wait a munit send it rite on
to me so I can Be practuceing on these too
songs that I have made up oh well it wont
seem like I am ever going to get a trial. Well
maybe my chance will come some day. I am
going to loose my mind thinking about a guitar
oh well I will look for it by Friday. Yours very
truly
Dear Mr. Walter White,
My dear Friend:
Just a few lines to let you hear from me. This
leaves me well and I truly hope when these few lines
reach your kind hands they will find all well and doing
fine.
Now, Mr. White listen here. It has been sometime
since I have gotten a letter from you But I want you to
know that I am depending on you to fight my case. The
I.L.D. is trying to get us but I think that you can do us
more good than they can. Mr. Beddow was down here
to see us a few days ago and I wrote my mother and
told her that I had more confidence in you all than I
have in them.
I would like to hear from you sometime. I am
looking for a answer soon.
Dear Mr. Geo Maurer:
I will write you a few lines to let you hear from me, I am well and
I hope when this reaches you, that it will find you the same. I
wrote you a letter and would like to know if you got it.
I would like for you to stop Mr. Walter White from butting in my
case for I don’t want him to have my case for he gots a run talls
people that he had taken my case but I dont want him. I want you
all to take my case, the I.L.D., for you all had my case first and
I want you to keep my case for me please.
My dear frend Mr. Roy i get your letters tow
day and was glad tow from you Mr. Roy When Mr
White Was here tow see Us Boys I told him that i
Want him tow have my case and if you don't take
the case i Will all Way Say that i Want you all tow
have it i know Who i Want tow have My Case and i
am Sorry if you think i don't know Who I Want Mr
Roy it looks like you cood take Us 4 boys and let the
other Boys go With the ILD and any way My annt
wants You all tow have it and i do tow Well Mr Roy
i Will Say I am Sorry that you all did take Us 4
Boys pies take it the ILD ink Wright i see it now
Well Mr Roy i Will Say that i Want You all So Right
Soon
Mr. J. Louis Engdahl,
Dear Sir:
While sitting all alone in prison i thought
I’ll express you a few lines to let you here
from us boys. We all are well and hoping
to be free soon and also hoping you all will
remain in fighting for us boys.
Mr. Engdahl I am ask you a question and i
would like for you to answer it in your
write, and here it’s are. Have you all got
Mr. Darrow to fighting for us boys.
The reason why I ask you that becost I
heard that Mr. Clance Darrow was going
to fighting for us boys, and i would like to
know if possible becost i am innocent, as
innocent as the tiny mite of life just
beginning to stir beneath my heart.
Honest Mr. Engdahl, i" haven’t did anything
to be imprisonment like this. And all of
the boys send their best regards to you all
and best wishes. So I would appreciate an
interview at your earliest convenience.
Very truly yours
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Norris was the second
Supreme Court case
arising from the
Scottsboro incident
Norris moved to quash
the indictment based on
lack of black jurors
Trial court denied the
motion, Appellate
Courts upheld
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The Supreme Court held that the systematic
exclusion of black jurors from the jury venire
(both grand jury and trial jury) violated
Clarence Norris’ rights under the Equal
Protection Clause of the Constitution
8-0 decision authored by Chief Justice Hughes
(Justice McReynolds did not participate)
Companion case decided on the same day
Patterson v. Alabama, 294 U.S. 600 (1935)
The Court quashed the indictment for three
reasons:
1. The purposeful exclusion of black
jurors violates the Equal Protection
Clause
2. Norris made a prima facie case that
there were scores of qualified black
jurors
3. Testimony revealed fraud and blatant
racism
I do not know of any negro in Morgan County over
twenty-one and under sixty-five who is generally
reputed to be honest and intelligent and who is
esteemed in the community for his integrity, good
character and sound judgment, who is not an
habitual drunkard, who isn't afflicted with a
permanent disease or physical weakness which
would render him unfit to discharge the duties of a
juror, and who can read English, and who has never
been convicted of a crime involving moral
turpitude.
 Appeal by three defendants (Ozie Powell,
Haywood Patterson and Charlie Weems)
 The State requested a severance and the
defendants were tried in three separate groups.
 Each of the three trials were completed within a
day. The defendants were found guilty and
sentenced to death.
 Record does not reveal counsel was appointed
for the defendants.
 The issue addressed by the Supreme
Court in Powell was whether the
defendants were denied the right of
counsel, with the accustomed incidents
of consultation and opportunity of
preparation for trial.
 Supreme Court concluded that the Sixth
Amendment to the United States
Constitution, stating accused has right “to
have the Assistance of Counsel for his
defense”, required defendants to have
counsel appointed in these cases.
“. . . Attorneys are officers of the court, and are bound
to render service when required by such an
appointment . . .
The United States by statute and every state in the
Union by express provision of law, or by the
determination of its courts, make it the duty of the
trial judge, where the accused is unable to employ
counsel, to appoint counsel for him. In most states
the rule applies broadly to all criminal prosecutions,
in others it is limited to the more serious crimes, and
in a very limited number, to capitol cases. A rule
adopted with such unanimous accord reflects, if it
does not establish the inherent right to have counsel
appointed at least in cases like the present, and leads
convincing support to the conclusion we have
reached as to the fundamental nature of the right.”
 Appointment/Indigent
§§ 40-14-201 et seq.
Defense
Fund---T.C.A.
 Tennessee Public Defenders---T.C.A. §§ 8-14201 et seq.
 Federal Public Defenders and Panel Attorneys--18 U.S.C. § 3006A (Criminal Justice Act)
 Defender Commission for
T.C.A. §§ 40-30-201 et seq.
Capitol
Cases---

Number of death sentences: 220

Death sentence overturned: 97
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Conviction and death sentence overturned: 29
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Death sentence never finally reviewed due to defendant’s
death in prison: 26
Death sentence carried out: 6
Percentage of death sentences overturned by the courts:
126 of 220 (57%)
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Death penalty replaced extralegal lynching and other
forms of racial violence
1877 to 1950: five times more blacks were lynched in
Shelby Co. than in Davidson Co.
Death sentences: 76 (36% of all TN death sentences)
Almost twice as many blacks than whites received the
death penalty
2000 Census: 49% black, 48% white

Eyewitness misidentification (72%)

Improper Forensics (47%)

False Confessions/Admissions (27%)

Informants/Snitches (15%)

Prosecutor misconduct/Brady violations and
ineffective assistance of counsel play a role in virtually
every wrongful conviction
Crime: October 2, 1983 in Memphis, TN
Trial: December 2 to 7, 1985 before an all-white jury
Death sentence overturned (due to Brady) and resentenced to
life in prison: 2004
Conviction vacated: December 9, 2011
Released: June 1, 2012
Nearly 28 years incarcerated, including almost 20 years on
death row
Jimmie Lynn Ramsaur
Rob McGuire
Terry Maroney
Ndume Olatushani
Moderator: Luther Wright, Jr.