sentences:  But Judge Whittle ruled that because of the brutality of the crime and the findings of guilt that the men's sentences were appropriate.The seven were ultimately executed in 1951.In denying the appeal of one of the 'Martinsville Seven,' Justice Edward W. Hudgins of Virginia's Supreme Court of Appeals ruled that the death penalty "does not depend upon the race of the accused, but on the circumstances, aggravation and enormity of the crime...the law applies to all alike regardless of race or creed."