Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-07-28
ERRORS on WHICH TO APPEAL.
Counsel Think There Are Enough 10
Warrant a New Trial.
LETTER FROM JUDGE ORGAN
He RcpI,es 20 n Richmond Lawyer
ana Voxds That the Women Hnd
Impurtiat TRIMS BEFORE 'r
Jprtcs-Thc whitc-Man story.


of death for the murder OF Mrs. Pollard
in Lunenburg. the old woman, Mary
Barnea who IS serving q ten-year sen
tence IN the psnitentiary on the charee
of tsng en- accomplice OF the other Wo-
men. hos been practically overlooked
A Dispatch man called on her at the
penrentiary yesterday, and found her IN
custriousiy engaged IN the shoe-SHop'
wher,, sho f. employed Clipping threads
frun Shoes. She was taken down INTO ~'e
Office OF the prison. and the reporter h''d
n ,unq interview with her. Nnen she
first entered thu apartment the news
paper-man greeted her with the state
ment that he had come - get her ost
aIer face frightened instantly. and with
a fervent Thank Cod" she eiapped her
hands together She Instantly realized
however, that no such good fortune was
hers Just yet, and subsidsd.
she IS an honest-looking. pleasant
spoken OLD darby Of the antebelium type
and tells q very straight story OF he'
connection with the tragedy. which CO.
incides in every particular with that toid
by her daughter and Mary Abernathy.
THE OLD WOAlAES STORY.
Mary says she was st the house al
noon, and was given dinner by MRS.
Pollard (Niss Lacy. as she called herr.
After the mead she washed the dishes
and made an engagement with Mrs. Pol
lard 70 20 ~ fhe "meetln' -hcuse' the
next SUNDAY. At the suggestion Of Mr.
Pollard, who vas sitting on the front
porch, she went out into the garden 10
work for a while. and later on was called
back 20 tse house By Mr.. Pollard, who
Wanted her 90 help him IN the field. Mrs
Pollard had I'm the mean time gone on
10 visit a neighhcr, about a haAf mile dis
tant. and her husband summoned her 10
tie house by ringing the big bell.
This was about o'clock, and after
Mrs. Pol!arIs return to the house MIR
Pollard and the woman, who Il now IN
the penitcntiaTy. went out into the corn
feld and worked About > o'clock Mr..
Pollard went back 10 tls house and
loaded a wagon with produce from the
barn. II was not until after this had
been accomplished that he discovered the
dead body OF his wife.
Mary says that after Mr.. Pollard
had left the field some time boky Barnes
ana several other cclOred women
passed through the field on their way
Of the house Zach OF them had "a bucket
Of chesries, which they had picked. They
stood and converssd with the old woman
fer some time After their departure
the call-bell was rung violently ~ Mr..
Pollard and several 81 the women hal
iooed back TO know "what make Mr..
Pollard ring the bell 50 curious"
MISS LUCY MIGHT BE SICK"
The bell continuing 10 ring so violently.
Pokey Barnes called out to her mother
end told her that she had better 30 TO
the h0usa, as MISS Lucy might be sick.
Acting on this suggestion. the old wo-
man says she went. ana upon reaching
tho yard found Mr.. Pollard standing over
tho PROSTATE body OF his wife, weeping
bitterly. According to her story, she
stopped down by the body. but MIR. Pol
lard ordered her away. and told her 70
run over ami give the alarm at the resi-
denoe of Mr.. Robinson. who lived not
far off. This she did, ana when she re-
turned IA number OF people had assem-
bled IN the yard.
The old woman appeared very much
distrcsed over Mrs. Pollard's sad death,
and says she was deeply attached to
her ond would have boon the last person
on earth 10 have harmed a hair OF her
head. She is very Respondent, and said
u
porter that she never expected to get
back 10 Lyme sJburg again.
Mary sail while In jail in a cell near Ma
rabies she heard him in conversation with
u Mr. Fultz say that the money gotten
from Mr.. Pollard's house had been buried
beneath an old house near by.
WORK OF THE ATTORNEYS.
The attorneys who have been engaged
10 defend the women are hard at work
on the case. and have already discovered
sufficient evidence to lead them to believe
that man ami not the women was Mara
ble's accomplce. IL Is understood that
they VIII proceed on the hypothesis that
Marabieis story that a white man did the
killing is correct. ana 1t IS possible will
cause some arrests to be made within Il
few days.
Their Efforts Will be concentrated toward
re,tiug new trial. and instead Of APP
Dying TO the Supreme Court they will
Appeal ia Judge Samuel i. Coleman, Of
the Circuit Court of Lunenburg. The
principal ground on which this appeal viii
be mada Is the fact that Mary Alternately
after her conviction. made q motion for a
new trial. which was overruled by Judge
Orgaln The following irregularities
which appear In the record Of the trials.
Will also be used as arguments in favor Of
u new trial
In no instance does It appear that the
Jury. when adjourned over. was placed in
the charge Of deputies, who should have
been Instructed not 10 let the jurymen dis
cuss the case with any one.
The fact that Judge Perry. who repre-
scented Mary Alternately and made a mo-
ton for change Of venue. Afterwards
retired from the case. Is likewise omitted
in the record.
MAILED THE MONEY BACK.
Tho fact that Marable. who Is unques-
tonably an ignorant darky, went TO
Chnse City and there mailed a registered
letter back N himself at Flnneywood. thus
creating an excuse. shoEld any question
as 20 hts having money in his possession,
be raised. strengthens the lawyers opision
that white man was concerned IN the
case. They DO not believe chat the negro
Gould hsve conceived any such plan. The
letter wcs received at Finneywood. and
was by the postmaster, Mr.. David Thomp-
son, surrendered 10 the authorities on de-
mand. II had previously been opened and
resealcd, and this In itself Is supposed 70
be a strong clue toward the perpetrator of
the crime as It - thought the person
who opened the letter knows something Of
the murder. and looked into the letter for
the purpose Of seeing whether Marable
had obeyed instructions and mailed HIM
self S.. AZ least that Is the presumption
Of many people.
Marabie has. sinoe his Incarceration
here. given the name OF the man. who,
he claims. did tho killing, and I'm the
presence Of the Judge and The two prose-
cuting attorneys at Lunenburg. Mr. Pol
lard. when asked who he Quarrelled with
on the morning OF the day on which the
murder was committed, gave the same
name. He has since asserted however,