Super Short Summary

A Murder in Virginia: Southern Justice on Trial by Suzanne Lebsock recounts the 1895 murder of Lucy Jane Pollard in Lunenburg County, Virginia, and the subsequent investigation and trials. Suspicion initially falls on a black sawmill worker, William Henry Marable, who implicates three black women—Pokey Barnes, Mary Barnes, and Mary Abernathy. The book explores racial and social tensions, the influence of biased media coverage, and the courtroom injustices leading to Solomon's conviction and the eventual release of the women due to lack of evidence. The work highlights the black community's struggle for fair representation in an era of pervasive racism and segregation.