Conviction: The Murder Trial That Powered Thurgood Marshall's Fight for Civil Rights

by Denver Nicks, John Nicks

On New Year's Eve, 1939, Elmer Rogers and his wife, Marie, were preparing for bed when a shotgun blast sent buckshot deep into Elmer's rib cage. When Marie ran from the room, screaming for help, a second gunshot erupted. The eldest Rogers child grabbed his baby brother and ran while the middle child clung to the bed frame, paralyzed with terror. The intruders poured coal oil around the house and set fire to the front door before escaping. Within a matter of days, investigators identified several convicts who had been at a craps game with Rogers the night before. Also at the craps game was a young black farmer named W. D. Lyons. As anger at authorities grew, political pressure mounted to find a villain. The governor's representative settled on Lyons, who was arrested, tortured into signing a confession, and tried for the murder. The NAACP's new Legal Defense and Education Fund sent its young chief counsel, Thurgood Marshall, to take part in the trial. The NAACP desperately needed money, and Marshall was convinced that the Lyons case could be a fundraising boon for both the state and national organizations. It was. The case went on to the US Supreme Court, and the NAACP raised much-needed money from the publicity. Conviction is the story of Lyons v. Oklahoma , the oft-forgotten case that set Marshall and the NAACP on the path that led ultimately to victory in Brown v. Board of Education and the accompanying social revolution in the United States.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Audiobook, True Crime, Historical, Law, Race

211 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 4, 2019

Reviews

[Pat Lilley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written by a lawyer and journalist (father and son btw!), this is a narrative of one of Thurgood Marshall’s early cases. A young black man named W.D. Lyons was accused in 1939 in rural Oklahoma of viciously murdering a man, his wife, and their 4 year old son. There was no evidence against Lyons except for his confessions, and there was strong evidence that two white men from a nearby convict gang (out of prison to do free road work for the state) were the real perpetrators. But the governor of Oklahoma and other powerful politicians did not want to see convict labourers accused. That might mean the end of a profitable system. So Lyons stood accused instead. It’s a sad story and told competently but this books lack the rich detail and context that a similar book written by an historian would provide.

[Mackenzie Steele · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great account of an Oklahoma civil rights case that provides insight into the inner workings of the genesis of the NAACP’s legal battles to secure rights for Black Americans. I highly recommend this book!

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although Thurgood Marshall was making a name for himself, poor W.D. Lyons was convicted and served about 15 years of a life sentence. This book is no surprise as we know about racism.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1940, long before the murder of George Floyd or the lynching of Emmett Till, a young Black man in Oklahoma - W. D. Lyons - was arrested for a murder he did not commit, beaten and tortured by sheriffs and the governor’s special investigator, and forced to confess. One of his attorneys was a young Thurgood Marshall. After the judge allowed Lyons’ forced confession to stand and a jury of all white men then found Lyons guilty, Marshall argued the case before the Supreme Court.

Having never heard of this case and knowing only the major highlights of Marshall’s towering legacy, I found this meticulously detailed history intriguing - albeit disturbing. Local heroes, like Roscoe Dunjee, who ran the NAACP chapter and edited the Black newspaper, also feature prominently. The verbatim inclusion of scores of letters exchanged between the major characters in this real-life drama was a bit excessive.

Overall a very worthwhile read, particularly in embodying the point made at Black Lives Matter protests: How many weren’t filmed?

[Caleb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much like the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, the story of W.D. Lyons is a fundamental part of Oklahoma history that has nearly been lost to time. Whether the lose of this history is intentional or simply negligent is a debate for another platform. This book is a valiant effort to preserve a small piece of history for future generations.

The book does an excellent job of telling the tragic story of W.D. Lyons while simultaneously filling in the details of WWII America and how that America affected Lyons' case. Conviction also gives the reader a view of the coming civil rights movement of the 1950's and 1960's, and shines a light on lesser known civil rights activists like Roscoe Dunjee and Stanley Belden. The book also provides an excellent analysis of Lyons’ educational progress while his was incarcerated as well as Lyons' thoughts on the infancy of the civil rights movement.

This book is a great primer on a nearly-forgotten piece of history, and a must read.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was certainly a good book, an impulse read for me, which I picked up simply because I saw the title and subject and was interested. I certainly know who Thurgood Marshall was but am not familiar with his story or of the criminal case that is the centerpiece of this discussion.

Based on the subtitle, I expected something else. What I expected was the story of a victorious fight for justice on behalf of an unjustly accused victim of racial prejudice, namely for W.J. Lacey, a black man quite obviously framed for the triple murder of a white family. In the end, the only break Lacey got was a life sentence rather than the death penalty. In the end, his sentence was commuted and the judgment was reversed, but not until he had spent twenty years in a prison in Oklahoma.

The real topic of the book was the work that Thurgood Marshall did as an NAACP lawyer on Lacey's case, including arguing it before the Supreme Court—where he lost and ultimately found himself without any further recourse to help Mr. Lacey. Despite the loss, it turned out to be a major stepping stone in Marshall's path to the Supreme Court, where he remained a vocal supporter of civil rights until he left shortly before he died at age 83.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written. A tragic chapter in American legal and civil rights history. The book raises several ethical issues for attorneys. Thurgood Marshall and his co-counsel come across (and rightfully so) as great crusaders for civil rights. But they may have sacrificed their clients' freedom for the opportunity to make a point in the greater cause and to keep the struggling NAACP afloat. And the prosecutor should have been disbarred, much less allowed to cross-examine the defendant, after virtually admitting to being present when a confession was beaten out of the defendant. The defendant, W.D. Lyons, who went to prison as a practically illiterate 21-year-old, took advantage of the opportunities prison had to offer and at one point wrote an eloquent letter on civil rights that is reproduced in the book. (In fact, a lot of the book, perhaps too much, is taken up by correspondence among the protagonists reproduced verbatim.) In the end, though, he ended up serving 20 years for a crime he did not commit. A life tragically wasted.

[Rebekah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought it was a great book. Of course my heart is broken for Mr Lyons and it sickens me the even the highest court in the land wouldn’t reverse what was obviously not only a miscarriage of justice but actual violation of civil rates given us in the Bill of Rights. I didn’t know this case and it brought up other racial chaos and riots and violence that I now plan to read up on. It only reminds me as I live in Trump Land in the county where a billboard sign during 2020 election made me cringe with shame saying “Make America White Again”. This same county that was one of the last holdouts of the Cherokee. Make America Brown again? Can’t say red as the locals will think communism. When will we learn?

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really excellent companion book to the Pulitzer Prize winning book about Thurgood Marshall titled Devil in the Grove, because Conviction talks about Marshall’s work in his earlier days. (To be clear, they're not written to go together, I just think they partner well.)

This story describes the NAACP taking on the case of a young Black farmhand in Oklahoma who was unjustly accused of murder in 1939. Using court records, interviews, newspapers, and correspondence, a robust telling makes the situation and personalities vivid. The story flows smoothly, and I felt like I had a feel for the time, place, and people who made up the case and community.

Very well done, and recommended for those who like history, court cases, and racial justice.

[Clint · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nonfiction saga of poor, young, Black man wrongfully convicted of a triple murder in late 1930s Oklahoma. Most of the narrative concerns the push by the NAACP to free him, including the machinations by NAACP lawyer Thurgood Marshall, later the first Black U.S. Supreme Court justice. A unique aspect of the book is letters among the convicted man and three others involved in his case. Although facts are facts, the book seems to abruptly leave the case and update Marshall’s future before returning to the convicted man. What’s missing, it seems to me, is what happened to several principals in the story. Good reading but an unsatisfactory conclusion.

[J.J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The description says "Conviction is the story of Lyons v. Oklahoma, the oft-forgotten case that set Marshall and the NAACP on the path that led ultimately to victory in Brown v. Board of Education and the accompanying social revolution in the United States." The author makes sure to highlight the fact that if this Supreme Court would have heard this appeal, it might have started the Civil Rights movement instead of the Emmett Till murder. Interesting premise and the history made it worth a read, especially if you're an Oklahoman or in favor of criminal justice reform.

[Nick Dager · Rating 2 out of 5]

While this is a well-meaning book, with its heart in the right place, ultimately for me, the story was a big disappointment. Perhaps the fault is mine, but it would require a major spoiler to describe why I feel the way I do. I will say, I came away from the book with tremendous admiration and respect for the man whose story is the focus of much of what takes place. W.D. Lyons endured a truly horrific miscarriage of justice.

[John Machata · Rating 4 out of 5]

Barring the misleading and hopelessly pandering title, this book more than anything details the life of a young black man from Oklahoma's Little Dixie who is unjustly accused and convicted of murder. He spends 15 years in prison, where he transforms himself from a barely literate boy to an elegant advocate for civil rights. A good read.

[Edward Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a great book that details Jim Crow in the Southwest (Little Dixie ) Oklahoma /Texas. The Jim Crow violation of human rights by Oklahoma directed toward its African-American citizens was a standard in the south. Thurgood Marshall emerges as a legendary defender of human rights and justice.

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Conviction grabbed my attention and didn’t let go. For those interested in history and racial injustice this is a very good read. However, there are parts of this book that are quite sad, so I recommend reading it when you are feeling upbeat. There is hope too, but I am left wondering why some humans insist on being so inhumane.

[CL · Rating 3 out of 5]

I use 3 stars for “fine.” The book did fine for its scope but I realized while reading it I wanted a much broader scope — more biography and epilogue

[Stephanie Borges Folarin · Rating 4 out of 5]

An important read. Short yet meaningful.

[Shane · Rating 3 out of 5]

A narrative kluge built in an important vista

[Valerie]

Reviewed for ALA's "Booklist" Magazine -- published May 3, 2019. You do not need a subscription to read my review at BooklistOnline.com at:
https://www.booklistonline.com/Convic...

[Brooke Barnum Berntson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The reason why the story was only "okay" for me was mainly because of the writing style. I felt that it was choppy and did not flow very well. I liked the story though and the idea behind it. Just wished it had been executed a bit better.