The Scottsboro Case 1931

The Scottsboro Case 1931

This case began on March 25,1931

It all began on a freight train when a group of white and black youth were on their way to see if they could find work .Then a fight broke out between a group of black and white hobos ,the whites were thrown off the train .The white hobos reported what had happened to them to the near by station master what had happened to them. The station master then called the for officials to stop the train in a place called Paint Rock where they had police waiting to arrest the black youth and take them to jail .The police were going to charge the youth with assault but the police discovered two female white youth dressed in boys clothes , the girls who had sexual relations with the youth that had been thrown off the train. The police then charged nine black youths with raping the girls. The girls agreed to testify against the black boys because they didn’t want their sexual relations with the youth thrown off the train revealed. The trail was held in Alabama the all white jury convicted them of rape and they were put to death. The north had heard of the out come and was outraged therefore   in 1932 they took the case to the supreme court and the convictions were overturned. Clarence Norris was sentenced to death but in 1935 a rule of having blacks in the jury was no longer allowed. The four youngest offenders who had served 6 years already were paroled all except Patterson; who escaped prison   in 1948   and was caught and convicted 3 years later in Michigan and was charged with man slaughter he then   died when he was put back in prison. Clarence Norris was pardoned in 1976 by the governor of Alabama.