(CIVIL RIGHTS) Sentenced to Die for Throwing a Cuspidor Save

Sale 2534 - Lot 202

Unsold

Estimate: $ 500 - $ 750

(CIVIL RIGHTS.) Sentenced to Die for Throwing a Cuspidor! Save Wells--Write Gov. Knight. Poster, 22 x 17 inches, in brown and black, featuring a portrait of Wells; minimal wear. Los Angeles, CA: Wells Defense Committee, [1953-54]

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Wesley Robert "Bob" Wells (1911-1976) of Los Angeles went to San Quentin in 1928 for wearing a stolen suit, and was convicted of manslaughter after the death of a fellow inmate. He was then sentenced to death in 1947 for throwing a cuspidor at a guard; his case became a national cause. This poster was created not long after Goodwin Knight became governor of California in October 1953; the death sentence was commuted to a life sentence without parole on 30 March 1954. Wells was finally released in July 1974, and died 18 months later. Civil Rights lawyer Charles Garry called Wells "the first Black Panther." One copy in OCLC.