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On a Southern Railroad Freight train, a fight broke loose between White and Black hoboes who were riding the train as a mode of transportation. The train was quickly stopped and nine Black males were arrested with rape & assault charges,
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A lynching mod forms outside of the Scottsboro Jail, forcing the Sheriff to call the Governor of Alabama, where he calls in the National Guard to hold "peace".
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Between April 6-9 1931, 8 Black men were tried in front of a judge and jury, and all were sentenced to death, with little hesitation in the jury's mind.
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Between April-December, 1931, word spreads far enough to be recognized nationally, and certain organizations aid to the trial in favour of the convicts. Organizations like the National Association for the Advancment of Coloured People (NAACP) and the International Labour Defence (ILD) raise awareness of the inequality in the trials.
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The executions of the accused are put on hold, as the cases are appealed to the Alabama Supreme Court.
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A letter written by Ruby Bates, one of the women who accused the black males of raping them, surfaced. On it stated she denied being raped, and she made false accusations because she feared being charged for being on the train.
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Despite overwhelming evidence supporting the Negroes story, and the recently discovered letter, the Alabama Supreme court vote 6-1 to hold the convictions, only granting one male a new trial.
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The U.S. Supreme Court rules that the defendants were denied the right to counsel, which they were, which violated rights under the Fourteenth Amendment. The case was passed on to the lower court.
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Judge Horton, who sentenced death, then revoked it, is defeated in a re-election for his position
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Ozie Powell slashed a Deputy's throat, a Sheriff shot Powell in the head, both Powell and the Deputy survive.
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Powell pleads guilty to assaulting the Deputy, sentenced with 20 years in prison. His rape charges are dropped from before.
