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James "Jimmy" E. Wilson (born c.1903-4),〔He was 70 years old on or before October 1, 1973, when he was paroled.〕 was an American farmhand who was sentenced to death by an Alabama court after he was convicted of violent robbery in 1958.〔(Dudziak, Mary L., "The Case of 'Death for a Dollar Ninety-Five: Finding America in American Injustice" ), University of Southern California Law School, 2007, p.5〕 As an African-American, his case became a ''cause célèbre'' due to the small amount stolen ($1.95) and the fact that Wilson was convicted by an all-white jury. The case became a source of embarrassment for the United States at the height of the Cold War, as it suggested that American promotion of democratic principles overseas was hypocritical when it did not seem to uphold the same standards in its own states.〔 ==The case== Jimmy Wilson of Perry County, Alabama was an illiterate farmhand.〔Alabama High Court Denies Plea Of Negro Doomed in a Robbery: Tribunal, in Refusing Rehearing, Stresses Night-Time Aspect of Case, Not $1.95 Total -- Governor May Spare Wilson New York Times (1923-Current file) (York, N.Y ) 12 Sep 1958: 15.〕 He was arrested on 27 July 1957 for stealing $1.95 at night from a 74-year-old〔(Estelle Barker - Marion, AL. SSN: 416707145 - Death Records )〕 white widow, Estelle Barker, in Marion, Alabama.〔 Barker also testified that Wilson attempted to rape her, which he denied, although he was not indicted on this charge, as night time robbery carried a harsher potential sentence.〔Alabama Negro to Die For a Robbery of $1.95 New York Times (1923-Current file) (York, N.Y ) 17 Aug 1958: 42.〕 An all white jury convicted Wilson of robbery, and the judge sentenced Wilson to death by electrocution. What counted against Wilson was the fact that the robbery was violent (Wilson had choked Barker, attempted rape and threatened her life), that it took place in the victim's home and that Wilson had previously served two prison terms for grand larceny. Wilson admitted that he had been drinking heavily on the day of the incident, and that the robbery was premeditated.〔(Wilson v. State :: 1958 :: Alabama Supreme Court Decisions :: Alabama Case Law :: US Case Law :: US Law :: Justia )〕 Robbery in Alabama carried the death penalty at the time, although no one had ever been sentenced to death for stealing less than $5.〔(Times Daily - Google News Archive Search )〕 In September 1958, Wilson's two brothers hired Fred Gray to represent him.〔 The case was appealed to the State Supreme Court, which upheld the death sentence. In its opinion, the Court stressed that the conviction was due to the violent nature of the robbery, and that "the amount of the money ... taken is immaterial." 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Jimmy Wilson (laborer)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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