The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-07-24
Jeter Phillips Slew His Wife
and Left Body in
Woods
THIS CRIME CITED
AT CRlPPEN TRIAL
Finding of Woman's Body in
Reservoir Sent Cluverlus
to GallOWS-MCCue
Went Same Route

Richmond has been stirred by four
celebrated murder cases since the
war, That one of them is the recent
Beattie tragedy 1t Is needless to point
out Another was the McCue case,
still another the Cluverius case, and
the fourth the Jeter Phillips case,
which dates back to 1865.
In this year James Jeter Phillips,
who had seen service in the Confed-
crate army, slew his wife in the
Drinkard farm woods. three miles east
of Richmond. Nearly two weeks later
the body was found with features
hardly recognizable. 1t was brought
to Richmond and identified as two
separate persons. who quickly turned
up, leaving the authorities as mysti-
fed as ever. After few days the
body was buried. but was disinterred
when rumor spread abroad that Jeter
! Phillips, a farm hand working on
| she Turner plantation, near Rich
mond, In Henrico county, had wife
who had mysteriously disappeared.
| Then by means of sections of the wo-
mans clothing the corpse was iden-
titled as the body of Phillips wife,
a young woman who nursed him In
the war in her home county down
/ Oh tue PENINSULA
| Left City With Wife,
| Though Phillips denied all knowl-
edge Of the crime, 1t was proved that
he had been seen leaving the old
Virginia house. which stood on the
site OF the Richmond Hotel. at Ninth
and Grace streets. with the woman
In buggy, going in the direction of
| Church Hill. 1t was also proved that
hA hyd y,
down the country that she was be-
ing delayed In returning home to
visit them as result OF being under
the care Of a physician. Phillips also
denied that he was ever married, but
in refutation of this statement the
prosecution produced the minister
who performed the ceremony To
further clinch its case. the prosecu-
ton showed that Phillips had been
attention to Miss Virginia Turner on
whose fathers farm he was
lemployed and that he wished to mar
ry her.
The crime was committed In Feb
ruary, 1858, and after a long and
stubborn fight in the courts, Phillips
went to the gallows July g. 1870
but not before he confessed his guilt
admitting that he strangied his wife
in the woods and left the body there
Like Crippen Case.
BY reason OF the manner In which
the corpus deficit was established this
case figured prominently In the ia
nous Crfppen murder trial in Londor
last year.
Next in point OF chronological
order came the Cluverius case. the
date Of this murder being March 49,
1885. Thomas ]. Cluverius was a
young lawyer. fresh from college and
practicing in one OF the counties be-
low Richmond along the James. He
had a cousin, Lillian Madison. &c
whom he Is said to have been at
tentive She was a school teacher
and on a visit 10 Richmond strange
" disappeared. search was in
stituted for her body with the re.
suit that It was discovered at the
bottom of what is now known az The
old reservoir. Suspicion pointed Il
Clurerius and he was arrested
though stoutly protesting his limo
cence. the arrest taking place Marcf
49, five days after the alleged crime
was committed. Then began a Ions
and bitterly contested legal battl,
that did not terminate until Gu
tverius went to his death on the gal
lows, January IA, 1887.
/
Despite his protestations OF limo
cence. watch key claimed to b,
the property of the young lawyer
was found on the banks of the reser.
voir. and around this bit of evidenc,
practically the entire case conferred
Cluverius denied its ownership. Will.
the prosecution produced a Jewele
who swore 1t was the key to tn,
accused mans timeplece. The de
Tense claimed this bit of vital evi
. dance> was trumped up. TO send al
innocent man to the gallows. Thu
prosecution claimed, with the watch
key as proof. that Cluverius accom-
panied the pretty young schoo
teacher to the reservoir OH the fata
night and after a struggle In which
, the key was torn from his watcl
. chain threw her into the water ant
, left her to drown. Another theor,
was that he strangled her on TIL
, banks and then flung her body int,
, the water.
. Maintained Innocence.
Cluverius was first sentenced to h.
: hanged November 90, 1885. Resen
fenced December 10, 1886. he wa
4 reprieved by Governor Lee until Jan
( uary a. 1887, when he expiated tn,
> crime with which he was charged
, stoutly maintaining his innocence Il
{ the last
Many persons who followed thi
4 famous case believe to-day that thu
law took the life OF an innocent man
The alleged motive for the crime
was that Lillian Madison was soor
) to become the mother of child
: and Cluverius wanted to be rid o
, her.
: 1t was said after the hanging tina
! Cluverius had confessed to Judg
!. lcontinusd ou Second PaEa1