A Paltry Sum for ‘Fundamentally Unfair’ Conviction
An 83-year-old Florida man whose Army conviction for the 1944 lynching an Italian prisoner of war was overturned as “fundamentally unfair” has gotten a check for back pay.
The amount was $725.
Samuel Snow told the New York Times he thinks he deserves more money. In October, an Army review board effectively overturned the conviction of Snow and three others in the lynching death of an Italian prisoner of war following a night of rioting.
Snow was one of 28 African Americans convicted in the case. Two defense lawyers had only 13 days to prepare for the trial of 43 men charged and did not have full access to a confidential report about the incident.
The money was for pay Snow didn’t get while he served a year in prison. The Army did not add interest or adjust for inflation, the Times reports.
The Army reviewed the case following the release of a book about the incident published by journalist Jack Hamann.
