The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1876-02-10

In 1872. there lived, Oh Doe Creek. a small
creek of Moth River, in Giles county. Virgin
ia, family by the name Of Lucas. Old Lucas,
the father lived to bc nearly one hundred years
OF age, and 10 doubt Il more hoafy-leaded sin
ner never lived i'll the Old Dominion. The old
mans name was Randolph, but for short was
called ''Old RAM The frst-born in this fam
lily Of blood. was named Jerry" who, dur
ing the war Of 1872, took a fancy to his neigh
boris wife While his neighbor was in the ser
vice ct his country as & military man, at Nor
folk. In week after the man returned home,
Jerry Lucas, 1T the earnest solicitation OF the
ilendish woman, under the pretense Of friend,
snip, invited him home from muster with
him. He WAS afterwards found murdered, be-
hind log, with about two hundred pounds of
stone upon his body. Jerry confessed chat he
beat his victim over the head with clul,
tintll he supposed that he was dead, and then
went to the murdered mans house and remain
ed all night. 10 make assurance doubly sure.
lie returned in the morning to see if the man
was dead. He found him sitting, leaning against
4 tree, covered with blood. The poor fellow
begged piteously for his life, and told lucas to
take his wife, and ha would leave the country
as soon as he was able, and would never say a
word about what he had done to him. He
pleaded in vain, for Jer' Y Immediately finished
him. and conceald the body behind u log as
above stated. For this murder he was arrest
Cu. ll1cti. convicted ana hung at Giles court
House, in the fall of 1874. Old Ran, his faith
er, sat under the gal ows when he WAS hanging.
and amused himself eating gingerbread. Jer-
rvs param0ur escaped punishment for the
want Of testimony.
Dave the second son of old Ran, was even
worse william than his brother. He commence
ell his career CT crime abOCt 1920, at the age OF
nineteen by stealing a horse, for which he was
sent to the penitentary for five years, during
which tin,a t,a in OH n apOth
er convict, to his home; was retaken. and served
out his time. Not long after he returned home,
he robbed pedlar of his wares, for which he
was again sentenced to the penitentlary for
three years. AT the time of his last conviction
a cousin. q lad Of seventeen or eighteen years
OF age, was convicted Of some crime, and also
sent to the penitentiary for three years. They
were discharged at the same fime and left
tue prison together. THAT was the last
heard of the cousin, and afterwards in one Of
his drunken frolics, Dave boosted that he
Killed him on their journey home, and that
he threw the body into the river; snd also made
the statement that when he run his knife into
| the boy. he baWled Ike q calf. He murdered
| the boy for the small pittance given him on
leaving the pellitentiary to defray his expens-
es home.
Thus he continued in his career of crime,
burning hay stacks. and barns filed with grain,
| until September, 1871, when at Il militia mus
ter, i'll quarrel and fight with lis sisters sou,
he killed him with 3 blow. He was acquitted
on his trial, owing to some calculating circun-
stances.
The next crime Of Dave was founded or the
following strong circumstances: man who
had been North with Il drove Of cattle merely
| asa driver: was returning home through Dawes
neighborhood OH foot. Shortly afterwards, Lll-
cas- was seen to follow him with a rifle, and
soon thereafter report Of a gun was heard in
that direction. But as the driver was entire
stranger, no investigation was made. Some
years afterwards a mans dog in the vicinity
came to his master with human skull in his
mouth.
Dave LUCAS last crime, and for which the State
was freed from the monster. WAS the murder Of
John Poff. y poor labnrer who had been work
| ing at the KanaWha Salt u orls few months
and who, with the proceeds OF his labor in his
| pocket, was travelling alone and on foot, to his
family and home in Floyd county. Dave fell
IN with him late in the day, and invited him to
go home with him, saying he would entertain
him as well rs any one. Poor Poif consented,
and soon met his fate Dave killed him with
in two hundred yards of his house, aud in so
obscure q place that the body laid nearly d;
week above ground without discovery; and
what was strange infatuation, no pains or
care had been taken to conceal the foul deed.
| He was tried and found guilty by the jury in
| fifteen minutes from their retirement from the
| courtroom. There was seventeen witnesses
on the part of The Commonwealth. The ami
NAL had no witnesses, and refused to employ
| counsel. The court assigned him counsel, but
his case was so plain and fragrant that the coun-
sci submitted it to the jury without argument.
! He WAS sentenced, and Oil Friday the path Of