Who is Haywood Patterson?

Answer 1

Haywood Patterson who was a young black boy born in Elberton, Georgia in 1913 was only 14 years old when he was riding the rails looking for work. He was 18 years old when he rode the rails on a freight rain that was going to Alabama and he had his friend Eugene Williams and Roy and Andy Wright. Haywood Patterson admitted that he was the one who fought with white hobos who tried to force them off the train, but the charge against him was rape.

The first trial with 9 Scottsboro defendants were tried in groups. On March 19033 he faced Judge James Horton of the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals. The trials ended in the death penalty, but the judge set it aside and the second trial Judge William Callahan also resulted in a death penalty. Unfortunately the filing deadlines were missed and Patterson lost his right to appeal. Fortunately the U.S. Supreme Court realized the two cases were interrelated and the lower courts were asked to re look at the Patterson case. During this time Patterson spent time in prison and relied on a knife he had made to help survive in prison. Although well liked he did have enemies and had to stave off rape from fellow prisoners. On Feb. 1941 a guard paid one of Patterson's friends to kill him and that friend stabbed Patterson 20 times puncturing a lung, but Patterson survived. He was then transferred to Kilby Prison to work on the prison farm. In 1948 he was successful re a prison break and escaped to Detroit, but was caught soon after by the FBI, but the governor of Michigan refused to allow him to be extradited to Alabama.

Patterson was still in Detroit and although he could barely read or write he worked with journalist Earl Conrad to write his autobiography 'Scottsboro Boy' published in June 1950. In December 1950 Patterson was arrested after a fight in a bar resulting in a stabbing death. It was hung jury re the first trial, but the second trail was deemed a mistrial. After the third trial Patterson was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 6 to 15 years, but only served one year as he died of cancer in jail on August 24, 1952.