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Estimate: $ 2,000 - $ 3,000
(CIVIL RIGHTS.) Papers of an NAACP branch seeking the release of South Carolina chain gang refugee Willie Morgan. 2 manuscript volumes of manuscript branch board meetings dated 1954-1961, plus 33 loose leaves, a mix of typescripts, carbons, manuscripts, and mimeographs, various sizes; condition varies but some with dampstaining, rust stains, and paper clip tears. Westchester County, NY, bulk 1954-1955
Willie Morgan was jailed in 1951 at age 17 for stealing an old pistol from a cousin's house, and sentenced to 16 years on a South Carolina chain gang--with 8 years before he was even eligible for parole. Subjected to brutal beatings, he escaped in 1954, made his way to his mother's home in Westchester, NY, surrendered to the local police, and was held in the county jail awaiting extradition. In a community effort reminiscent of the defense of fugitive slaves a hundred years earlier, the local NAACP rallied public support to prevent Morgan's return to South Carolina. They argued that the original conviction violated civil rights statutes, because white first offenders aged 16 or 17 were routinely sent to juvenile detention. They secured Morgan's release on bail awaiting a final decision. We wish this story had a happy ending. After the period covered in these papers, Morgan lost his final appeal, and was returned to the South Carolina chain gang on 17 November 1955. He and a fellow inmate overpowered a guard and escaped again on 11 March 1956, but he was swiftly recaptured. We have not been able to trace his story after that point. This collection includes:
4 Autograph Letters Signed from the defendant Willie Morgan to Florence Mack of White Plains, NY, each 1 or 2 pages. With original mailing envelopes. Westchester County Jail, Eastview, NY, 1 July to 13 December 1954. The first letter: "I was told that there was going to be a lot of people in court, but I didn't expect that many, because I didn't think that many people were taking interest in my case. . . . I appreciate what you and your family and the members of the NAACP are doing for me." The second letter: "The painting set you sent helps my days go by fast. It's true how friendships can develope even when we haven't met, and it's good to know that people care what happens to you." The third: "Like my sister said, I am very impatient to get this trouble cleared up. But with all the help I am getting, I am sure everything will turn out O.K." The final letter was apparently written for Morgan by a friend.
Flier for a "Mass Meeting Sponsored by the White Plains Branch, NAACP. Come and hear about Willie Morgan and join him in his fight for justice." 11 x 8½ inches, 14 June [1954].
28 pages of notes, draft press releases, and chapter mailings relating to the Morgan case, May 1954 to March [1955].
Pair of minute books from the White Plains branch of the NAACP. 150; 76, [8] manuscript pages. Quarto, each about 10 x 8 inches, original cloth, moderate wear and staining; first volume with dampstaining to fore-edge, pages 113-118 turn out, no entries for 1957. White Plains, NY, 15 January 1954 to 17 March 1961.
The Morgan case is discussed in these minute books frequently starting from 14 May 1954, where the board agreed to assume his legal expenses. A mass meeting in his support was planned on 16 May, and legal developments are discussed in detail at almost every meeting. Morgan was introduced to the board while out on parole at the 23 January 1965 meeting. When the case was appealed to the Supreme Court, a board member was headed for "the convention at Atlantic City where he planned to meet with Mr. Thurgood Marshall and other lawyers" (19 June 1955). They noted sadly on 10 December 1955 that "Willie Morgan was turned over to the South Carolina authorities," and on 19 February 1956 were still trying to get the South Carolina branch to take interest in the case.
These minute books also include interesting content beyond the Morgan case. A guest speaker at the 15 April 1956 meeting discussed his work as a reporter on the recent Montgomery bus boycott. The branch welcomes Daisy Bates as a guest speaker on 24 April 1960, a few years after her role at the forefront of Little Rock school integration. The chapter discussed hiring practices at some of the area's major employers; for example, regarding "the General Motors policy at the Chevrolet Tarrytown plant, it was understood that we intend to see that they practice democracy in that plant" (19 June 1955); they later noted that not one of the 500 foremen at the plant was a Negro (18 December 1955). A board member visiting County Trust Bank noted "with gratification the presence of a Negro teller" and thanked the bank president for "this historic turn" (18 September 1955).
