For the collective information.

 

Just ran across the following in the Orange County Circuit Court
records:

 

A James Wilson was charged with having broken & entered the house of one
Oliver Bartley "on the 3rd day of April in the year one thousand eight
hundred and sixty five" and carrying away "twelve pieces of bacon, one
half barrel of flour, money, many articles of wearing apparel, tallow,
sugar and coffee of the value of one hundred and fifty dollars."

 

Young Wilson was convicted and sentenced to five years in the
penitentiary at Richmond.  However, it appears the jury was uneasy about
their work, for the court noted, "[I]t is ordered to be certified that
the Jury recommend the Prisoner to the clemency of the Executive of the
State, on account of his youth, -- and because of the fact that his
offence was committed at a time when men supposed they could commit
lawless acts with impunity."

 

Jim Watkinson

 

James D. Watkinson, Ph.D.

Archives

Library of Virginia

[log in to unmask]

804.692.3804

 


To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions
at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html