july african american virginia executed fatal shooting white landlord july unsuccessfully maintained trial killing self defense convicted jury white citizens paid poll tax measure effectively barred blacks poor whites jury service workers socialist labor rights organization began national campaign calling sentence supported efforts novelist philosopher lady president private appeal behalf virginia governor campaign won sentence finally executed july case failed poll tax led reform virginia system motivated begin career civil rights law killing background born unknown father died shortly birth jones gave boy sister annie husband adopt considered annie mother completed years high school later forced leave school work farm convicted seven offenses including assault reckless driving carrying concealed razor january married woman named great depression fell mortgage farm died bank annie agreed white landlord relationship quickly davis landlord reduced davis land davis reduced acres accused davis failing pay annie agreed taking care davis ill wife weeks subsequently refused work davis fields davis evicted following davis farm mutilated dogs annie cousin robert helped harvest farm wheat davis took crop share april taken job constructing electrical lines maryland returned weekend july investigate situation shooting july drove davis farm wheat annie relatives friend named brought caliber pistol subsequent events remain dispute teenage black employee maintained fired warning hitting times sons testified father stated died shot cause son added davis said continued shoot davis fallen ground testimony witnesses including relatives inconclusive distant hear conversation davis stated davis refused let family share wheat reached pocket draw gun fired davis davis escaped shot taken hospital died wounds july afraid fled columbus ohio arrested home uncle july involving police trial trial began september represented small communist splinter organization members expelled beliefs organization unpopular opposition world war group compared trial boys african american young men accused rape alabama suspicious circumstances began criticize racism economic conditions rural historian argues group brought negative publicity trial start creating perception radical outsiders defense socialist labor rights organization workers offered defense public campaign avoid stigma communism influencing case rebuffed stone defense attorney given days prepare defense white jury selected composed citizens pay poll tax stone moved case dismissed grounds deprived trial jury peers stone failed submit evidence case factor prove crucial later unsuccessful appeals judge dismissed motion questionable motion stone judge case withdraw testimony sons proved witnesses testified heard declare come home wheat kill analysis proposes witnesses similar coached prosecutors defense counsel pursue possibility september hour jury found guilty degree murder sentenced death verdict praised virginia press covering trial execution scheduled december year campaign trial agreed pass responsibility public campaign legal appeals provided case continue handled class struggle basis attention national issues specific situation eager help reluctantly agreed terms organization assumed control case november immediately began fundraising behalf young woman new organization dispatched national fundraising tour accompanied times joined case month giving case national publicity groups hoped case lead supreme_court rule poll tax unconstitutional december virginia governor granted stay execution months giving new defense additional time study case march philosopher joined cause sending murray defense giving permission use fundraising later signed open letter comparing slave unsuccessfully sued freedom supreme_court letters new_york_times case caught attention nobel prize literature involved case wrote open letter ceased individual democracy denied country lady worked behalf states involved receiving letter murray prompted write governor price requesting investigate received fair trial delay execution roosevelt biographer contrast holds lady intervened receiving note saying heard lots people speak nice lady hear believe helping poor write governor mercy allow chance beginnings roosevelt involvement case caused widely criticized white southern press execution june supreme_court denied petitions appeal defense soon left legal options final attempt win pardon governor activists staged events country including hour lights primarily african american neighborhood harlem new_york_city governor price successor received seventeen thousand letters case eve execution appealed husband president franklin agreed sending private letter urging sentence life imprisonment signing old friend happens president held hour hearing hearing arguments sides decided proceed execution traveled washington attempt lobby president personally unaware secretly appealed behalf president apparent refusal act damaged relationship civil rights leaders murray open letter behalf movement called stab murray remain friends death decades later wrote page dying statement execution admitting mistakes insisting acted self defense haven lived upright asked god forgive feel accidentally fell good people tried help case worked hard sun sun trying living family ended death big people presidents governors judges children don suffer plenty money born mention worry glad people lucky united_states people tried work couldn maid steel rob executed electric chair morning july time execution death row days longest death row stay state history funeral held july attended people white person secretary attended whites asked come reporter wrote exclusion black community want murderers look face death impact case despite poll tax factor jury selection tax remained virginia ratification fourth amendment united_states constitution outlawed deeply affected experience working case inspired pursue career civil rights law governor influenced popular sentiment case evoked began reform virginia system including creation official authority sentences
Odell Waller