Sale 2503 - Printed & Manuscript African Americana, March 28, 2019

233 c   (CIVIL RIGHTS.) Bob Wells, 44 Years in Jail for Refusing to “Tom.” Write to Reagan, Demand Executive Clemency Now. Poster, 17 x 22 inches, illustrated with a photographic portrait of Wells; vertical fold, minor wear and soiling. San Francisco, CA, circa 1972 [600/900] Wesley Robert 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. He was finally released in July 1974, and died 18 months later. Civil Rights lawyer Charles Garry called Wells “the first Black Panther.” We trace no other examples of this poster. 232 231 233