A Murder in Virginia: Southern Justice on Trial [Hardcover]

Suzanne Lebsock (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2003

It's 1895 in Virginia, and a white woman lies in her farmyard, murdered with an ax. Suspicion soon falls on a young black sawmill hand, who tries to flee the county. Captured, he implicates three women, accusing them of plotting the murder and wielding the ax. In vivid courtroom scenes, Bancroft Prize-winning historian Suzanne Lebsock recounts their dramatic trials and brings us close to women we would never otherwise know: a devout (and pregnant) mother of nine; another hard-working mother (also of nine); and her plucky, quick-tempered daughter. All claim to be innocent. With the danger of lynching high, can they get justice?

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.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In recounting a 1895 murder investigation and trial in Lunenberg County, Va., Lebsock (The Free Women of Petersburg) meticulously brings to life a lost episode of a small, segregated Southern town and frames it against the backdrop of racial strife in the country as a whole. When the wife of a prominent Lunenberg man is murdered with an ax, a black farmhand, Solomon Marable, is immediately arrested. He shocks everyone by accusing three black women of the crime, and a dramatic set of trials ensues. Lebsock recounts the improbable roles of lawyers, judges, politicians, the black community and the defendants themselves in the case, thanking "the archivists, librarians, county clerks, the clerks' clerks, and packrats of all descriptions," who allowed her to recreate the investigations and five trials in astonishing detail. Mary Abernathy (tried twice), Mary Barnes and her daughter Pokey Barnes were eventually exonerated, to the relief of many. Marable paid for the crime with his life, but Lebsock, a professor of history at the University of Washington, is not sure he did it; she presents the case from both sides, allowing readers to draw their own conclusions. Throughout, Lebsock employs a clear, precise prose, and packs the book with the sort of detail that will satisfy procedural junkies. For history buffs, the book provides a fascinating, microcosmic glimpse into the politics and law of late Reconstruction, at a moment when the U.S. was poised on the brink of the 20th century. Moreover, Lebsock perfectly captures the manner in which the town mobilized to give the women (if not Marable) a fair trial, and the ways in which individual personalities influenced that process, lending this book a human interest beyond its time and place.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Using court documents, newspaper accounts, and letters, Bancroft Prize-winning historian Lebsock brings to life the 1895 murder trial of a black man and three black women accused of murdering a white woman in Virginia. Lebsock presents in incredible detail the gruesome murder of Lucy Pollard and the robbery of her wealthy and stingy husband, the trial, and the crusade to free the women who were widely believed to be innocent. In its haste to blame the crime on blacks and exact prompt "justice" via lynching, the town runs afoul of a governor determined to rid the state of the savagery of lynching and its threat to the rule of law. Lebsock is particularly adept at portraying the individuals and interests involved: the accused murderers, the unsympathetic widower, the crusaders, the vested interests of those who supported the lynchers, and the fierce newspaper rivalries fueled by the trial. She also explores the social and racial undercurrents in the small town, which signified the changed relationship between blacks and whites in the post-Civil War era. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; 1 edition (March 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393042014
• ISBN-13: 978-0393042016
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #963,036 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars History that reads like fiction, February 8, 2005

By 

Frank J. Konopka (Shamokin, PA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Murder in Virginia: Southern Justice on Trial (Paperback)

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.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Story Ploddingly Told, October 18, 2004

By 

Richard A. Mitchell "Rick Mitchell" (candia, new hampshire United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Murder in Virginia: Southern Justice on Trial (Hardcover)

This book recounts the travails and trials (literally) of three black women and a black man in Virginia in 1895. The man was arrested for murdering a white woman and he immediately implicated the three black women.

Ms Lebsock gives a detailed account of their trials, appeals and new trials. The book is terrifically researched and the story(ies) good. However, the telling never really flows. The trial accounts are detailed and, by their nature, contain redundencies that grow tedious. I found myself skimming over many of them as time went by. The author does do a good job of portraying the defendants and their black newspaper owner supporter. There is also good information about the first underpinnings of segregation in Virginia.

All in all a pretty good book, especially if you like trial accounts. I wish the writing had been a bit smoother and the athor had stepped back and looked at the "bigger picture" of the trials a bit more often rather than reciting and repeating testimony.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Real Life Courtroom Drama, January 14, 2005

By 

The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers (RAWSISTAZ.com and BlackBookReviews.net) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Murder in Virginia: Southern Justice on Trial (Hardcover)

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