Thomas Griffin (January 1, 1889 – September 29, 1915) and Meeks Griffin were brothers and prominent Black farmers who lived in Chester County, South Carolina. They were executed via the electric chair in 1915 for the murder in 1913 of 75-year-old John Q. Lewis, a Confederate veteran of Blackstock, South Carolina. The Griffin brothers were convicted based on the accusations of a small-time thief, John "Monk" Stevenson. Stevenson, who was found in possession of the victim's pistol, was sentenced to life in prison in exchange for testifying against the brothers.[1] Two other African Americans, Nelson Brice and John Crosby, were executed with the brothers for the same crime. However, some in the community believed that the murder might have been the result of Lewis's suspected sexual relationship with 22-year-old Anna Davis. Davis and her husband were never tried, possibly for fear of a miscegenation scandal. The Griffin brothers, who were believed to be the wealthiest Black people in the area, sold their 138-acre (56 ha) farm to pay for their defense against the accusations.
Thomas Griffin | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 1, 1889 |
| Died | September 29, 1915 (aged 26) |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Farmer |
| Known for | Wrongful execution |
Over 100 people petitioned Gov. Richard Manning to commute the brothers' sentence. The signatories included Blackstock's mayor, a sheriff, two trial jurors and the grand jury foreman. Nevertheless, they were sent to the electric chair.[2] Thomas Griffin and Meeks Griffin were pardoned in October 2009 after Tom Joyner sought the pardons of his great-uncles from state appeals court in Columbia, South Carolina.[3]
Joyner learned about his relationship to the Griffins through research conducted for the PBS documentary, African American Lives 2, by Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr., which also traced 11 other relatives.[3]
Their case was dramatized in the 2021 supernatural horror film, Blackstock Boneyard. In said film, they return from the grave one hundred years later to take revenge on the descendants of the people responsible for their deaths.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Four Negroes in Chester Sent to Electric Chair". The Charlotte News. Chester, South Carolina. July 9, 1915. p. 10. Retrieved January 31, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Adcox, Seanna (October 15, 2009). "Radio host Tom Joyner clears his family's name". The Seattle Times. Retrieved October 18, 2009.
- ^ a b Spillius, Alex (October 18, 2009). "South Carolina pardons black brothers convicted of 1913 killing". The Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on August 10, 2021. Retrieved November 9, 2021.