Customer Reviews

A Murder in Virginia: Southern Justice on Trial

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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.

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.

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

"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.

This is a compelling, often surprising, book about the murder of a white woman in Virginia near the turn of the 20th century. Compelling because it sometimes has the suspense of a mystery, and surprising for the courageous actions it depicts about people black AND white.

One of the suspects in the case, "Pokey" Barnes, was a particularly intriguing character. Ms. Barnes informed a white woman (in Virginia in 1895!) that, "I walk where I please," and acted in her own defense for part of her trial proceedings.

But that shouldn't stop anyone from reading this comprehensively researched book. Indeed, the author's near-obsession with the case is infectious.

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.

When a white woman named Lucy Pollard was found hacked to death in Lunenburg County, Virginia, in 1895, racial tension erupted and dominated the trial of Mary Barnes, Pokey Barnes and Mary Abernathy, three black women charged with her murder. The case dominated public attention for two major reasons: the victim and the accused murderesses were all women, and the legal proceedings commenced against the latter were so tainted with racial hostility that the term `fair trial' was a ludicrous description. Try witch hunt.

This is more than just an overview of a murder case destined to go unsolved. Author Lebsock also examines the uneasy white - black relations that characterized the post-Civil War South. Although the three black women accused of killing Lucy Pollard with an axe were clearly the victims of prejudice, Lebsock reminds us that whites were also instrumental in defending them against the unfounded charges and ensuring that other blacks in the county were not `burned out' or lynched, as was regrettably common in the wake of a sensational crime involving one of their number.

"A Murder in Virginia" is so packed with anecdotes that it reads like a novel. But Lebsock uses solid documentation, not imagination, in telling this once-forgotten story. She's done an excellent research job, and her writing style makes for a lively recollection of a time and place as well as a crime.

This book is a combination of history and true crime and the author does a good job of combining the two to create a very interesting story. Often times with these sort of books I have trouble keeping up with the many different characters especially when they have similar names. This was not a problem with this book because Lebstock does such a good job fleshing out the characters and their motives and explaining the often-complex court proceedings. She employs just the right amount of quotations and news articles rather than overusing them as many of these kinds of books tend to. If I have one mild complaint about the book is that the many different theories that the author puts forward in the end are a little confusing and hard to follow and I get the impression that the author is over thinking it a little. Whatever shortcomings that the last chapter may have, however, is more than made up for in the epilogue where the author connects the events in Lunenburg to larger events in the development or rather the disintegration of race relations in the late 19th century. This is a very readable, entertaining book that would be useful for anyone interested in race relations in the late 19th century or just want to read a good real life murder mystery.

This was one of the best internet purchases service I've ever had! :) Quick, As described well....I recommend!

First and foremost - this is a fascinating book. The author's research is phenomenal. Furthermore, the book is very readable.

Here's my problem: There are two ways that one can describe events that happened in the past. The most objective way is to simply tell the people what happened based upon the facts.

The second way leads to a better story, but it results in a question of credibility of what is being said. This second method is to enhance the story by use of adjectives and other techniques. An example: "By the scant light of a crescent moon they kept moving, splashing through creeks and stumbling over roots, ducking into the brush whenever they thought they heard voices."

My problem with the preceding sentence (not necessarily a problem for others) is that it is highly unlikely that this trip has been described this specifically in any documents. Therefore, if the author is making up minor details to make the book more readable, how does the reader distinguish between fact and fiction?

Just one more example: "Enter Captain Frank Cunningham. Major Derbyshire war the regiment's commander, but Captain Frank was its impressario, the master of morale, the chieftan of charm. Broad-shouldered and tall, the captain cut an impressive figure."
I believe that this description is excessive and unnecesary.

BUT, as I said at the beginning, this is a fascinating story and well-worth reading.

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