Copyright 2000 The Baltimore Sun Company
THE BALTIMORE SUN
May 14, 2000, Sunday ,HOWARD
SECTION: LOCAL ,10B
LENGTH: 569 words
HEADLINE: Rally to underscore push for man's posthumous pardon; A black's conviction, execution for murder in 1919 were hasty, some say
BYLINE: Andrea F. Siegel
SOURCE: SUN STAFF
BODY:
Advocates seeking a pardon for a black man they believe
was wrongly convicted and executed in 1919 for killing a pregnant white
woman will
hold a memorial service for him on what would have been
his 110th birthday.
They hope to know by the ceremony June 10 if Gov. Parris
N. Glendening will pardon John Snowden, the last man hanged in Anne Arundel
County.
Snowden was convicted of the Aug. 8, 1917, killing of Lottie
Mae Brandon. His hanging Feb. 28, 1919, brought such turmoil to the state
capital
that the National Guard was called in to keep the peace.
The ice wagon driver maintained his innocence, up until his execution.
Shortly after his
death, an anonymous writer to the Capital took credit
for Brandon's murder; advocates for a pardon believe that confession should
weigh
heavily in their favor.
Carl O. Snowden (no relation), who is among those seeking
the pardon, said the Annapolis black community at the time quietly buried
John
Snowden amid warnings from authorities and black ministers
not to do anything that might upset the city.
In contrast, the ceremony and reception next month will
have a higher profile, featuring Leroy Phillips Jr. as the keynote speaker.
The
Chattanooga, Tenn., lawyer won posthumous vindication
for a black man lynched in 1906 by a white mob after a federal appeal stayed
his
execution on a hurried rape conviction. He is the co-author
of "Contempt of Court," a book about the case.
The ceremony at Brewer's Hill Cemetery in Annapolis, where
John Snowden was buried, is expected to draw between 300 and 500 people,
many with ties to two longtime city churches, Asbury United
Methodist and Mount Moriah African Methodist Episcopal, which are helping
sponsor
it.
"In a way, it's going to be a community burial for this man," said Snowden.
A plaque with an excerpt from John Snowden's last statement,
in which he professed his innocence, will be placed behind his tilted,
blank
grave marker.
As plans for the service move ahead, organizers are seeking donations, which can be made to Asbury Church.
Advocates for his pardon, which include several area black
organizations, believe there was a rush to judgment amid swirling rumors,
explicit
descriptions of the crime, changing witness stories and
an assortment of theories. John Snowden reported being tortured by investigators
but
said he could not confess to a murder he did not commit.
Eleven members of his jury asked that his life be spared.
"My father spoke very little about it," said Hazel Snowden,
a niece of John Snowden who is among those seeking the pardon. "He kept
an
article about it on the mirror next to his bed. I think
it made him very bitter."
Those seeking executive clemency said they realize it is
hard to win, and this bid, the second for John Snowden, has been made partly
for
symbolic reasons. Though a pardon would not remove his
guilt, it would serve as an apology to the black community and show an
effort to set
history straight, they said.
Officials said each request for a pardon is evaluated on whether convincing evidence exists to show the person was wronged.
Investigators for the Maryland Parole Commission have completed
their work and are forwarding a report to the commission, said spokesman
Leonard A. Sipes Jr. The commission will then give a recommendation
to the governor, who has the final say, but when that decision will be
made is unknown.