Tag: James Weldon Johnson

Hellraisers Journal: Arkansas Supreme Court Reverses Death Sentences of Six Men Convicted for Elaine “Riots”

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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Quote Ed Ware, Song fr AR Prison, Fall 1919, Elaine Massacre, Ida B p6

———-

Hellraisers Journal – Tuesday January 18, 1921
Arkansas State Supreme Court Reverses Death Sentences for “Massacre Plot” 

From The Crisis of January 1921:

ANOTHER VICTORY IN ARKANSAS

Arkansas Elaine Massacre, 12 Union Men Condemned to Die, IB Wells Barnett p2, 1920

THE Supreme Court of Arkansas has held that discrimination against Negroes in the selection of both grand and petit juries is in contravention of the Fourteenth Amendment and of the Civil Rights Act of 1875, and it has consequently reversed the decision of the lower court in condemning to death for the Elaine riots Ed Ware, Will Wordlow, Albert Giles, John [Joe] Fox, John Martin and Alfred Banks. This is the second time that the court has reversed the sentences of death passed on these Negroes.

Death sentences on six other Negroes which have been affirmed by the State Supreme Court will now probably be held up by the Governor until the present cases are decided.

Governor Brough has made every effort to hang these Negroes, even attempting to influence the court by newspaper articles in which he cited the various Arkansas organizations which were demanding their death.

[Photograph and emphasis added. Italic type removed.]

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Hellraisers Journal: From New York Age: Mass Meeting Will Raise Funds to Fight for Lives of Martyrs of Elaine, Arkansas

Janet RayeHellraisers Journal
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Quote Claude McKay, JAccuse, Messenger p33, Oct 1919———-

Hellraisers Journal – Sunday December 7, 1919
New York, New York – Equity Congress to Fight for Condemned Union Men

From The New York Age of December 6, 1919:

TO AID FIGHT FOR NEGRO RIOT MARTYRS.

WNF Elaine Massacre, HdLn AR Gz p1, Oct 3, 1919, wiki
Defamatory Headline
from Arkansas Gazette
of October 3, 1919

To raise funds to assist in the fight for the lives of the twelve men sentenced to death on account of the Elaine, Ark., riots, the Equity Congress of New York City is arranging to hold a mass meeting on Sunday, December 7, at the 15th Regiment Armory, 132nd street and Seventh avenue, at 5 o’clock.

A number of prominent citizens will speak and good music will be given. The people are urged to be present and give tangible aid in this important matter.

Of the twelve men convicted and sentenced to death, six were to be executed on December 26 and six on January 2, but Governor Brough of Arkansas has announced that he would postpone the executions to make it possible for appeals to be filed in behalf of the condemned men.

Counsel must be secured to take the appeals lo the Arkansas Supreme Court and funds must be provided with which to pay the counsel fees. The Equity Congress hopes to make a substantial start in this direction on Sunday afternoon.

[Newsclip and emphasis added.]

From the Kansas Trades Unionist of November 21, 1919:

ARKANSAS RACE RIOTS COME WHEN NEGROS ASK
JUSTICE IN LAND LEASES FROM COURT

Not Insurrection But Attempt to
Bring Test Case Into Court.

(By A. B. Gilbert)

St. Paul, Minn.-Investigation of the Elaine (Ark.) race riots by a correspondent of the Chicago Daily News brings out facts more noteworthy than the severity of punishment meted out to the alleged negro revolutionists.

Back of the outbreak is the report that two white men opened fire on a peaceable negro meeting. Back of the meeting is an attempt of some negroes to organize and collect funds to bring a lease-testing case into the courts. Back of this desire to bring a court case is the plantation store system [debt peonage system] found in many parts of the South.

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