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N0KFQ > TODAY 15.11.14 19:03l 38 Lines 1531 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 40092-N0KFQ
Read: GUEST
Subj: Today in History - Nov 15
Path: IZ3LSV<I0OJJ<N6RME<N0KFQ
Sent: 141115/1700Z 40092@N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA BPQ1.4.61
Nov 15, 1923:
Accused of rape, James Montgomery's struggle for justice begins
Mamie Snow, a mentally disabled white woman from Waukegan,
Illinois, claims that James Montgomery, a black veteran, factory
worker, and homeowner raped her. Montgomery, who was promptly
thrown in jail, spent more than 25 years in prison before his
conviction was overturned and he was released.
From the start, Montgomery's trial seemed ill fated. Local Ku
Klux Klan members threatened Montgomery's lawyer during the
proceedings, and, in 1923, after a weak defense and a trial that
took less than a day, Montgomery was found guilty and sentenced
to life in prison.
While serving time, Montgomery studied the law in an attempt to
prove his innocence. In 1946, he convinced civil rights attorney
Luis Kutner to investigate his case. Kutner discovered a medical
report from Snow's hospital stay revealing that not only was Snow
never raped, she was likely a virgin. Kutner also located
additional evidence suggesting that the Klan had framed
Montgomery and that prosecutors had withheld the medical evidence
from the defense. Nonetheless, it took Kutner three more years to
have the unjust conviction overturned. Montgomery was finally
released in August 1949.
This case of wrongful imprisonment is not an isolated incident
for Illinois. Between 1977 and 1999, the state released 11 people
from death row because they had been wrongly convicted.
73, K.O. n0kfq
N0KFQ @ N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA
E-mail: kohiggs@gmail.com
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