Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1896-08-08
MOREABOUTIT
Distinguished Officials.
Mr.. POLLARD'S CAREER.
The Two ThOmpsOns.
AT THE DEPOT AT FARMVILLE.
Mary Abaruathvis 0aaa
HR. POLLARD'S CAREER.
The Two ThOmpsOns.
Mary Abernathy's Case.

The death of MIR. Z S. Pollard at his |
home in Lunenburg County, near
Fort Mitchell ends another chapter in |
the famous tragedy and celebrated |
trials. He was born 1922 and accord |
ingly was "a years Of age. He died
July 80, 1895.
He married Mrs. Robert Thompson,
widow. Two months after her death /
he married another widow, Mrs. Mar |
tha Lewis. A few weeks after her |
death, he married again, Miss Lucy
Jane Fowlkes, the one who was muir
dered.
WHY HE WAS SUSPECTED
The fact that Mr.. Pollard had so
many wives, and had married so soon
after the death of each caused the fin-
ger of suspicion to be pointed at him.
The commonwealth could have made
out better case against him than
against the women. Yet, there was
an absence of motive. He was a mi
ser of the most pronounced type.
His coat was mended and patched to
such an extent as to battle all attempts
TO ascertain to Mhaa constituted the
original material.
His old hat was even worse than his
coat.
MoNEY CANE HIGH OR NOT AT ALL.
Any one desiring to borrow money
from him had to pay his usurious
rates of interest or go wanting.
He is said To have charged as much
as twenty-five per cent per month on
money loaned.
he was much disliked by his neigh
bora.
II a new trial is accorded Mary Alb
-ernathy and it is now generally con-
ceded thaS she will secure il, there is
no way to convict her with Mr.. Pol
lard i'm his grave Sheriff NJ. @. Car
doza expressed this opinion in this
city few days ago.
SOMETHING ABOUT THE rHoMPsoNs.
A singular thing in connection with
the case is that there are two David
Thomps0ns in Lunenburg County. One
lives at Finneywood, Va, and is post
master and depot agent at this place
He is the one that Solomon Marable
declared TO be the murderer of Mrs.
Pollard. Mr.. Pollard's first wife was
his great-aunt
The other is David J. Thompson,
lives near Fort Mitchell, Va, and Mr..
Pollard's first wife was his grand
mother.
This was why Marable was so exact
in his statements as to which OF them
committed the crime. 1t should not
be forgotten that at the time the mur-
der was committed Marable lived on
the farm of the man whom he accused.
THEIR PHoTooRAPHs TAKEN.
While at Farmville, Va. at the exc
cution of Solomon Marable, we secur-
ed the consent of Judge j. M. Crute,
ex-Judge Asa ID. Watkins, common
wealth's attorney, and Sheriff T. IL
Dickerson to sit for picture at the
Hunt Studio. We present their por-
traits in this issue.
Judge Crute is most impressive ju-
rist upon the bench. During the wea-
ry progress Of the trial, he exhibited
the keenest interest, and when the
verdict was announced reserved his
decision He is widely and favorablS
known for his sterling qualities anC
all classes speak of him in tones of re-
spect.
1t was sad indeed to note his an
guish as he received kilograms con
-cerning the condition of his son, VIII,
was then lying at the point OF death.
PRoNoUNcING THE SENTENCE.
When the end came and he found i
necessary to sentence Mary Aber
EathY. it became plainly manifest tina
he doubted the righteousness of th'
verdict, yet he hesitated to set i
aside.
He was careful as to her safety 70
ne ordered her to Lynchburg TO b
confined in the Jail there for safe kee
ing, and the same order was given i
Solomon Marable's case.
He accompanied them part the way
being enroute to visit his i'll son. II
conversed with Mary Alternately an
Solomon Marable and later unreserv
edly declared that his mind under
went great change. At Farmville
he told as that he would not have Ma
ry Alternately hanged for a thousan
dollars.
The opinion he held then he unqueS
tionably holds now.
Judge Crute conducts large bus
ness at Farmvile. The salary of
county Judge is so meagre, that it
essentially necessary that he shoul
have some other means of support.
THE STATUS OF THE CASH.
If a new trial is granted, the case {
Mary Alternately will come up again
his court. There are but three thing
TO be done: TO enter a nolle proseqI
and dismiss the prisoner, to grant
change of venue, that is send it
some OIner place TO De Jr.Su. or TO pro
ceed again with the trial with th
most important witness dead and til
others knowing little or nothing aboI
the case.
coSGMoNwEALTH's ATTORNEY WATKINS
In the annals of the worlds histoI
there have been notable instances
devotion to duty, yielding to patr
otic impulses and defiance of the il
sane wishes of the prejudiced. Scho
ars have written, poets have sung, an
orators have spoken the praises of Il
concientious and the great.
None who saw the waves OF prejt
dice rolling in billows, and noted ii
A-mutterings of the thunders of the Il
cal public opinion, believed that
the midst of this, with two able a
sistant commemorative attorneys pr
testing. believed that one man woul
stand forth in all the majesty wit
which the law had clothed him, car'
fully weigh the evidence for an
against the prisoner and boldly al
nonnce that he would proceed no fu
ther, he would not be party to I'll
conviction OF an innocent woman.
would not even trust it to n jur.
which he had every reason to belieS