The Man from Scottsboro: Clarence Norris and the Infamous 1931 Alabama Rape Trial, in His Own Words (Revised)

In March 1931, Clarence Norris, a self-described hobo, and eight other Black men were arrested in Paint Rock, Alabama, and charged with raping two white girls who were also hoboes on the train he was riding.

The one-day trial of the nine men, better known as the “Scottsboro Boys,” resulted in conviction and the death sentence despite a paucity of evidence. Though later pardoned, Norris spent 13 years in jail.

Clarence Norris’s description of his arrest, trial, and sentencing is both tragic and inspirational. The historical record of his struggle against a biased judicial system is constructed through:

• Personal letters to his family, attorneys, and supporters
• A lengthy 1980 interview with Norris
• Contemporary newspaper accounts of the trial
• Articles by Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter and Alabama Appeals Court Judge James E. Horton
• Legal opinions of the defendants’ attorney, Samuel S. Leibowitz

This collection serves as a powerful testament to the spirit of a man who refused to be broken by systemic injustice until his death in 1989.