A Murder in Virginia: Southern Justice on Trial

by Suzanne Lebsock

Book Overview

Lebsock takes us deep into this contentious, often surprising world, where blacks struggle to hold on to their post-Civil War gains against a rising tide of white privilege. A sensation in its own time, this case offers the modern reader a riveting encounter with a South in the throes of change.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393326063
• ISBN13: 9780393326062
• Release Date: September 2004
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 442 Pages
• Weight: 1.36 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.4" x 8.2"

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Southern Justice on Trial

"Nothing could prepare a person for the stunning brutality" of another's death, but at 47, Mary Abernathy knew about long vigils watching over the dead. After the murder of a white woman, Lucy Pollard, Pollard's husband screamed robbery and lay all night by his wife's corpse. So did black neighbor Mary Abernathy, eventually the first to be arrested for the murder. In Lunenburg County, Virginia, 1895, the axe murder of a white woman comes at a time of great racial tension. Post-Civil War Reconstruction is under way, White Supremacists taking advantage of new opportunities to stir up hatred and fear and the rural folk of Lunenburg deeply resent the intrusion of the press and distant lawmakers in their private business. By the time the dust has settled, the event will generate interest beyond the borders of a town that eventually puts three black women on trial for the murder of Lucy Pollard. Mary Barnes, Pokey Barnes and Mary Abernathy are arrested and charged with murder in an era when racial tension hardly needs more attention to spur acts of violence. But contrary to common thought, the trial does much to turn expectations upside-down, as the black community gathers in support of the defendants and white farmers help deter others from burning the farms of black neighbors. The black coalition remains effective and viable throughout the trial, encouraging unanimity of spirit. That the three women are eventually released is even more amazing, again going against all notions of southern justice. (A second trial is convened, one in which Solomon Marable, a black man, is accused, found guilty and later hanged.) The impressive details and research in this book do much to inform a modern society of the legal machinations and emotionally charged narrative that imbued the Pollard trial. Using preserved documents, Lebsock recreates the historical perspective, personal detail and deeply-rooted racial attitudes beneath the surface of the post-War South. The simple lives of the accused stand in relief against the extravagant verbiage of lawyers and politicians carving careers for themselves. The author perfectly captures the fear, confusion and innate prejudice of the trial, but also the unexpected support for the three women and the against-the-grain actions of the whites in support of those charged unfairly. From the first page, A Murder in Virginia reads like an anecdotal novel, albeit factual, the drama and chaos of murder and courtroom drama from a historical perspective, a racial divide still searching for definition, where black and white connote a world of difference. Careers are made and lives are changed by the events surrounding Lucy Pollard's demise, which remains unsolved, a matter for history to unravel. Luan Gaines/2005.

History that reads like fiction

This book is an exceptionally well written account of an almost forgotten murder from rural 1895 Virginia, and the racial and political outcome of the various trials involved. As a practicing attorney, I found much of the courtroom action fascinating, particularly how a lot of the "evidence" against the black defendants was introduced. Hearsay was allowed, and I wonder if it was simply because of the race of the accused, or was it simply the way things were done back in those days. Anyway, the story itself is remarkable, especially because of the many black and white citizens who worked together to help the three women accused in this horrible crime. This was before the Jim Crow south materialized, and a time when the races were not exactly segregated, but in many places lived and worked side by side. There are some very honest and honorable whites involved, and many crusading blacks who sensed the injustice that was being attempted. We may never know who the true murderer or murderers were, but this tale is a cautionary one about jumping to conclusions based solely upon race. We can all learn a great lesson from this book.

Real Life Courtroom Drama

On a June day in 1895, Lucy Jane Pollard was brutally murdered with an ax, and Edward Pollard, her 72 year-old husband, discovered her body. Later, Edward claimed they had also been robbed of over eight hundred dollars in cash and gold coins. In addition, he was fairly certain that some of his wife's dresses and linens were stolen. Three women found themselves on trial for murder as a result of the testimony of Solomon Marable, a mulatto man who admitted involvement in the crimes, yet each of the women denied any involvement. What follows is a story wrought with drama and intrigue, filled with changing testimonies, and witness tampering. The black community rallied to assist the women while they were in jail, raising funds for the women's legal defense and providing spiritual and emotional support. Suzanne Lebsock has presented a thoroughly researched and well-written account of a crime that changed a community. She presents the facts in an organized yet interesting manner and leaves readers to draw their own conclusions about what really happened. The book was an enjoyable read and at times I felt as if I was watching a documentary. The facts she presents in the book are well-documented and included photographs, drawings, and maps. She provided just the right amount of background information so readers could get a sense of what life was like at the time, without getting bogged down in unnecessary detail. I enjoyed how she illustrated the way issues of race played into the Lunenburg story. A MURDER IN VIRGINIA is a fine case study that puts "southern justice" on trial. Reviewed by Stacey Seay of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers

fascinating account of a murder trial

Suzanne Lebstock's "A Murder in Virginia" is an extremely well-written, compelling account of an incident in 1895 in rural Virginia. Lebstock gives us highly detailed, vivid descriptions of that time and place, and the cast of characters, both black and white folks, come to life under her expert pen. This non-fiction book reads like a fictional murder mystery, and it's a marvelous treat for readers like me who find real life vastly more interesting than imaginary plots. Who really killed Lucy Pollard in her farm yard that fateful day more than a hundred years ago? Lebsock presents the facts, and the reader is left to draw his/her own conclusions. Highly recommended.