The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1879-01-22
LOCAL MA TTERS.
The Lacy Murder.

FURTHER DETAILS or THE .HokR1D cRrME-
NAMES OF THE ACCUSED THEY ARE SAFELY
LODGED IN THg HEEn1co.C0 COUNTY JAIL, .fs
!, Information received here yesterday fully
confirms the account OF the brutal murder
Of John e. LacYsef New X Kent county, pub
lishcd in The Dispatch YESTERDAY; and addi-
tional details iaff' to furnish any motive for
the perpetration OF sneha crime other than
that Of mere petty iareely. From all we
can learn, d plan was formed and agreed
upon by three young negroes. named Pat.
Smith, ClaiboIn Smith, and julius Chris
tian, to waylay and rob Lacy, and, /; neces-
sary, to kill him in accomplishing their pul-
pose. As before stated, 1t was known to
two OF the negroes who had assisted, Lacy
in killing his hogs that he had come
to this city To: dispose of them, and
that he would return with the proceeds
OF the sale on & Friday evening. Ac-
cordinglv about dusk on that day the ne
groes stationed themselves at lonely
wooded spot ON the Forge road about eight
miles from New Kent Courthouse to await
the coming OF their victim. They we're not
detained long !, for:so the old mans cart
came rumbIing along and passed them.
born, who appears TO be the youngest, and
who perhaps was less of villain than the
rest OF them, stopped behind, ostensibly to
tie his shoe, but really, as he states, to
back out Of the job" which, as It's execu-
ton neared, be did not relish. ,Claiborn
fingered behind, listening eagerly to ascer-
tain what the others would do, and in
a short time after they had; left him he
heard the voice Of Lacy crying, 8. Murder "
Murder :" %, !, in agonized. tones. until
it became hushed in death. He fed
| and was soon at home In the house OF An
drew Whitney, an old negro aged. about
sixty years. On Saturday morning. when
the body Of Lacy was discovered, suspicion
at first fell upon this old man, Whitney, and
'Claiborn Smith, because :,tiey resided near
est the scene of the murder, and probably
owing to other circumstances. They were
at once arrested. and search OF the prem
Uses resulted in the discovery of some Of the
blood-stained clothing OF Pat. Smith and
Julius Christian. These discoveries, and
the confession,'' or rather volunteered
statement of Claiborn Smith, who related
the plot OF Friday and his connection there
With, led to the arrest Of the other two,
Pat. Smith and Julius Christian, on Sun
day morning, at their home, on the
farm of MIR. Alfred Selden. When ar.
rested the hat Of Mr. Lacy, four dollars
in money, some groceries, calico, and a
quantity Of matches, also his property, were
found in their possession. The inquest
took place on Sunday, and preliminary
examination before bench of magistrates
followed on Monday, at which the four ne
groes, Andrew Whitney, Pat Smith. Julius
Christian, and Claiborn Smith were CON-
rnitted for indictment on the charge Of mur-
der. The repeated rumors Of attempted
lynthing could be traced TO no authentic
source. Citizens in the vicinity, OF course,
were horri6ed at such cold Dlooded and
atrocious murder, but there YVES neither an
attempt at lynching nor even threats to that
effect. The people OF New Kent are too
well known to be law-abidins and peace
able to indulge in such violation OF
the laws of the land as Iynching. The
prisoners. who were expected here on Mon
day evening, did not arrive until yesterday
morning, and they are now safely locked up
in the Henrico-county Jail. Their removal
here, however, is not due to any apprehen-
sion of lynch-law on the part OF the people
Of New Kent, but simply because the jail
Of that county was burned last summer,
and has not since been rebuilt. The two
Smiths are aged respectively about sixteen
and eighteen years, are medium sized, and
of light, gingerbread color. Christian is
about twenty years old, and black, and the
old man Andrew Whitney is brown
skinned, tall, and muscular. The two al
legged murderers are notoriously bad char
acters in New Kent county,