Southampton-Nansemond County Virginia USGenWeb Archives Newspapers.....Conviction, 1929 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/va/vafiles.htm ************************************************ "Tidewater News" (Franklin, VA), Vol. 24, No. 23, Fri., Mar. 15, 1929, p. 1 LEVY VICK OF NEWSOMS HELD ON SERIOUS CHARGE INVOLVING ALLEGED PLOT TO POISON SON Witnesses Testify at Hearing Before Magistrates That Vick Promised Money to Administer Poisoned Drink to His Son, Hugh Vick. CASE GOES BEFORE THE JURY MONDAY Levy Vick, well-known man of the Newsoms community and a former constable for Newsoms District, is out on bail pending an investigation by the Southampton Grand Jury in Courtland Monday at which time he will be presented on a charge of soliciting persons to commit crime. The charge under which Vick was brought before a magistrates' court in Newsoms Monday with Commonwealth's Attorney R.E.L. Watkins in attendance is revolting in nature and has created much excited comment in his home community, according to current reports. From the evidence given by witnesses at the hearing held in Newsoms Monday morning of this week before Magistrates J.H. Channing and Caleb R. Everett of Newsoms District, it appears that Vick attempted to enter into a conspiracy with two negroes, Robert Crocker and John Sutton, to administer poison to Vick's son, Hugh Vick, who lives at Severn, N.C., a little town a few miles south of Boykins. Crocker and Sutton are said to have testified that Levy Vick had offered them $500 each to go to Severn in a car; find his son and tell him to come to see his father about a divorce suit (which the younger Vick now has pending); give the young man poisoned liquor as they were riding along and when he became ill from the effects of it to leave him beside the road. Hugh Vick is about 22 years of age and his father is said to have insurance policies in the sum of $13,000 on his life, $10,000 of which was placed about three years ago. The young man is a son of Vick's by a former marriage. A.W. Tucker of Newsoms and constable there, testified that he overheard Vick telling Robert Crocker "it must be done tonight" while the two were conversing behind a house of Tucker's in Newsoms Saturday. A small package was placed in the negro's hands by Vick, according to the testimony. After Vick went away, Tucker called to the negro; asked him what Vick wanted and heard the astounding proposal made as recited above. Tucker secured the package from Crocker. It was an ordinary business envelope, bearing the imprint of a Newsoms business house and addressed to Levy Vick. Within it was a deposit slip of recent date made out in favor of Vick, and some white powder. This was turned over to the Commonwealth's Attorney, who took it to the State Chemist in Richmond Wednesday of this week for analysis, and the nature of the powder will be known later. Something was also said by Crocker about Vick giving him money "to pay his fare to Severn." The negro Sutton's testimony was said to have been along the same line as Crocker's, and a white man of Newsoms, Hazel Crowder by name, testified that he had been approached by Sutton who sought to hire Crowder to take them to Severn in Crowder's car. As a result of the preliminary hearing, Vick was released on a bail of $500. Crocker also furnished bail in the same amount as a material witness, and Sutton, who was unable to give bond, is in Courtland jail. Vick denied the charge and is said to have made an unusually cool and collected witness at the Newsoms hearing. ****************************************************************************** "Tidewater News" (Franklin, VA), Vol. 24, No. 24, Fri., Mar. 22, 1929, p. 1 GRAND JURY FINDS TRUE BILL AGAINST VICK IN ALLEGED POISON PLOT Not since the good old days in Southampton when court terms were a gala event for people who lacked the general accessibility and universal transportation facilities of today, has there been a larger crowd in attendance at March Court than on Monday of this week when the action of the Grand Jury in the charge against Levy Vick of Newsoms was the chief topic of discussion. A packed courtroom with many on the outside greeted Judge McLemore when the term began, and a great number of those in attendance, both white and colored, were from Newsoms District. The evidence given in the Vick presentment was substantially the same as that heard at the magistrates' hearing in Newsoms one week before, according to those present on both occasions. While the testimony of the four witnesses appearing before the Grand Jury was largely corroborative, a determining factor in the evidence might easily have been the laconic statement of Dr. J.B. Weems of Richmond, State Chemist, who wrote, "The white powder was strychnine." This in reference to the package which Robert Crocker, colored, said was given him by Levy Vick to be placed in liquor for the subsequent poisoning of Vick's son, Hugh Vick, and which, being secured from Crocker by A.W. Tucker, constable of Newsoms District, was turned over to the Commonwealth's Attorney, R.E.L. Watkins, and personally carried to the State Chemist in Richmond by Mr. Watkins for analysis. The testimony of the four witnesses was practically as outlined in the News last week. A.W. Tucker testified to overhearing a part of a conversation between Vick and Crocker, and upon later asking Crocker, "What Levy Vick wanted with you," Crocker told of Vick's proposal that he and Sutton should go to North Carolina and get Vick's son to come home on the pretext that the father wanted to see him about a pending divorce suit between the younger Vick and his wife. Crocker showed to Mr. Tucker the envelope containing the powder which Tucker secured. Crocker's testimony corroborated his statement to Mr. Tucker, and in each instance the promise by the elder Vick that $500 each would be paid Crocker and Sutton was related. John Sutton told the same story, and said that Levy Vick had accosted him with the proposal as early as the first of February. Sutton denied that he was present when Vick gave the alleged poison powder to Crocker. The powder, according to those who saw it, was enclosed in an envelope bearing the imprint of the Bank of Newsoms and addressed to Levy Vick, while within the envelope besides the powder was a duplicate deposit slip of recent date made out in favor of Levy Vick. Hazel Crowder, a young white man of Newsoms, testified that Sutton had approached him seeking to hire Crowder to take him and Crocker to Severn or Conway, N.C. Crowder said he was not told what the purpose of the trip a was to be. In his testimony, Crocker exhibited two one-dollar bills which he said were given him by Vick to pay his fare to Severn, N.C., by train in the event that the car trip did not materialize, and both Crocker and Sutton testified that Vick told them his son's insurance was "about due" and he wanted the deed done at once when he "would have plenty of money to pay them." It has been generally reported that the elder Vick had life insurance in the sum of $13,000 on the son, around whom the alleged poison plot centers, $10,000 of which was said to have been placed about three years ago. Vick is the father of a family of seven, and the son, Hugh, is a child by his first marriage. The language of the indictment returned by the Grand Jury as a true bill was as follows: "The Grand Jurors, in and for the body of the County of Southampton, and now attending the said Court at its March term, 1929, upon their oaths do present, that Levy Vick on the 9th day of March, 1929, in Southampton County, did unlawfully solicit John Sutton and Robert Crocker, to commit a felony, in this to-wit: to murder by poisoning, one Hugh Vick upon a promise by the said Levy Vick, to pay to Robert Crocker and John Sutton the sum of five hundred dollars ($500.00) each, which said sums were to be paid by the said Levy Vick after the crime was committed, by the said Robert Crocker and John Sutton, against the peace and dignity of the Commonwealth of Virginia." T.A. Saunders was foreman of the Grand Jury, the other members being: E.N. Johnson, M.A. Thomas, N. Lee Story, H.L. Bain, A. Sidney Francis, C.W. Gary and Paul Scarborough. When the true bill was returned to the Court, Vick's bail was fixed at $1,000, and his date for trial set for April 17. R. Howard and R.E. Vick, the latter a brother of Levy Vick's, went on his bond. Crocker is still under a $500 bond for his appearance as a material witness and Sutton, unable to give bail, is in Courtland jail. There is no charge against either of the negroes. Jno. N. Sebrell of Norfolk is attorney for Vick, and Hugh L. Holland of Suffolk has been retained to assist the prosecution. Other matters engaging the attention of the Court were of a less sensational nature. Among the true bills found were: [...] ****************************************************************************** "Suffolk (VA) News-Herald," Vol. 7, No. 29, Wed., Apr. 18, 1929, p. 1 VICK GUILTY OF ATTEMPT ON LIFE OF SON JURY SAYS Southampton Man, Charged With Conspiring With Two Negroes to Poison Hugh Vick, Gets Year in Jail and a $500 Fine. A capacity crowd was on hand to witness the imposition of a one year's sentence on Levy Vick of Southampton county on the charge of having solicited two Negroes to poison his son Hugh, 22. The charges were denied throughout by the elder Vick. The trial took up the entire day and lasted partly into the night. Vick was given besides the jail sentence a fine of $500. The case was heard by the Southampton circuit court, whose session was held in Courtland. Judge J.L. McLemore presided. The testimony of the two Negroes, Robert Crocker and John Sutton, proved to be the highlights of the affair. Crocker and Sutton testified that they had been offered $500 each by the elder Vick to take his son for an automobile drive and give him poison liquor. The state centered its case around the fact that there was carried on the boy's life insurance to the extent of $13,000 by his father. A packet of powder analysed as strychnine by state chemists figured largely in the trial. The Negroes claimed that Vick gave it to them to be administered to the son in the whiskey. M.E. Barrett, prominent Southampton resident, testified that Hugh Vick stated his father had made three earlier attempts on his life and that one time the poison had burned his mouth to such an extent that medical treatment was necessary. Vick took the stand in his own behalf and denied the accusations. Commonwealth's Attorney R.E.L. Watkins, of Southampton, was assisted by Hugh L. Holland of this city in the prosecution. Holland was employed by residents of Newsoms, the home community of the defendant. Vick was represented by John N. Sebrell and George Cabell, of Norfolk. ****************************************************************************** "Tidewater News" (Franklin, VA), Vol. 24, No. 28, Fri., Apr. 19, 1929, p. 1 LEVY VICK FOUND GUILTY ON CHARGE OF PLOT TO POISON SON AND GETS MAXIMUM PENALTY Case from Newsoms Draws Record Breaking Crowd to Courtland - Virginia Law Provides One Year and a Fine of $500 for Offense - Vick Makes Cool Witness in His Own Behalf. BOY TAKES FATHER'S SIDE WHEN TESTIFYING Before a crowd that packed every nook and cranny, aisles, windows and doors of Southampton Courthouse, Levy Vick of Newsoms was given the maximum penalty under the law on Wednesday of this week on a charge of having solicited two negroes to poison his son, Hugh Vick, aged 23. The trial, held as the result of a preliminary magistrates' hearing in Newsoms March 11, and a Grand Jury indictment returned on March 18, attracted the largest audience ever asembled in the courthouse of this county. Judge Jas. L. McLemore convened Court at 10 o'clock and except for a brief recess for lunch, the trial went on continuously until 8:30 p.m. when the jury, after a deliberation of ten minutes, returned a verdict of guilty and fixed the penalty at one year in jail and a fine of $500, the maximum allowed by State law. Members of the Jury were: G.C. Powell, E.P. Ellsworth, J.C. Lowe, D.D. Barham and Chas. E. Joyner. Commonwealth's Attorney R.E.L. Watkins was assisted in the prosecution by Hugh L. Holland of Suffolk, who was retained by citizens of the Newsoms community. John N. Sebrell and Col. Geo. C. Cabell of Norfolk represented the defense. The three material witnesses for the Commonwealth were Robert Crocker and John Sutton, colored, the negroes who said that Vick had offered them $500 each to go to Conway, N.C., and poison his son by putting strychnine in whiskey, and Constable A.W. Tucker of Newsoms, who testified that he saw Vick in conversation with Crocker and overheard Vick say to Crocker, "It must be done tonight," or words to that effect. There were 35 witnesses in all, all white but two, a number being used in an effort to impeach the testimony of others. The entire morning was taken up by the examination of Crocker, Sutton and Mr. Tucker, all of whom told substantially the same story as related by them at the preliminary hearing and before the Grand Jury. The negroes stuck to their story of repeated offers from Vick of $500 each if they would take the poison and administer it to young Vick. A packet was delivered to Crocker by the elder Vick, according to the testimony, which Crocker gave to Tucker and this being placed in the hands of the Commonwealth's Attorney was taken by him to Richmond for analysis. Dr. Thos. A. Balthis, a State chemist, stated that the powder tested by him contained between 60 and 70 grains of strychnine, and Dr. W.B. Barham, called as an expert, testified that from one-quarter to one- half a grain was sufficient to kill a human being. Dr. E.F. Reese of Courtland testified that last November Levy Vick had attempted to buy strychnine from him on the plea that "he wanted to kill a suck-egg dog," but Dr. Reese refused to sell it to him. Over and over again the sum of $13,000 life insurance which the elder Vick had placed on his son was heard in the evidence, R.C. Knight and Earl W. Bryant of Boykins testifying that the elder Vick had bought a $10,000 policy on Hugh Vick April 21, 1928. The plan, according to the testimony of the negroes, was that they were to take the poison and go to Conway and there tell Hugh Vick that his father "wanted to see him about his insurance and divorce." After getting the young man in the car, so they said, they were to give him the poisoned drink and put him out on the road. Levy Vick testifying in his own behalf was on the stand 40 minutes. He made a fair witness and was cool and self-possessed most of the time, but Attorney Holland badly tangled him as to his reasons for placing a larger amount of insurance on his son's life than on the other children. Vick denied all charges; said he had never talked to the negroes or to anyone else about the matter; claimed that both of the negroes were drunk on the days referred to, and that he only approached Crocker for the purpose of buying a pint of liquor from him. The son, Hugh Vick, a Commonwealth's witness, denied any knowledge of this or previous attempts of his father to poison him, and said that when his mouth was burned last November, he did it by eating hot dogs. Young Vick proving an adverse witness, the attorneys for the prosecution accepted him as a Court's witness and placed M.E. Barrett of the Statesville community on the stand, who testified to talking with the Vick boy at Conway about the matter and said young Vick had told him of three probable previous attempts on his life by his father and that young Vick said he "ought to take a gun and shoot the damned scoundrel's head off." According to Vick's statement to Mr. Barrett, his mouth was so badly burned by a poisoned drink given him by his father last November, he consulted Dr. J.M. Bland, a physician of Boykins, and later Dr. J.W. Simpkins, a dentist of the same town, who said the boy had been poisoned. Dr. Bland testified that Vick had come to him for treatment and that the boy's mouth appeared burned or seared as if from some external agency. The defense used J.H. Channing, E.R. Story and J.L. Cogsdale in an attempt to discredit Tucker's testimony, and R. Howard, one of Vick's bondsmen, gave Vick an excellent reputation as a good neighbor, good citizen, kind to all children and a kind father. Mr. Howard said that Crocker and Sutton were of bad reputation, and that he considered them "the meanest two darkies around Newsoms." J.Q. Worrell and J.T. Ivey were used as witnesses as to the poor reputation of Crocker and Sutton, while W.K. Story and Irvin Drake testified that Hugh Vick told them he burned his mouth with a hot dog. The Commonwealth used R.A. Bunn of Newsoms as a favorable character witness for A.W. Tucker, Z.T. Bradshaw and Crocker, while the Sheriff of the County, T.B. Bell, said that both Tucker and Bradshaw were men of good reputation, Mr. Bradshaw having previously testified that he saw Vick, Crocker and Sutton together in his livery stable on Friday or Saturday before the arrest was made. The case was hard-fought throughout and Attorney Hugh L. Holland was especially effective in handling the examination of the witnesses. In the arguments before the jury, all of the lawyers were good, Mr. Holland opening, followed by Messrs. Sebrell and Cabell, who always command the closest attention of a Southampton court crowd, and Mr. Watkins closed in one of the ablest talks he has ever made before a Southampton jury. A motion to set the verdict aside was made by Mr. Sebrell, which will be heard by Judge McLemore on May 11. Vick was released on bond of $1,000 with R. Howard and R.E. Vick as his bondsmen. ****************************************************************************** "Tidewater News" (Franklin, VA), Vol. 24, No. 32, Fri., May 17, 1929, p. 1 LEVY VICK FAILS ON PLEA TO SET VERDICT ASIDE IN POISON CASE Judge Jas. L. McLemore overruled at his office in Suffolk Saturday a motion by attorneys for Levy Vick of Newsoms to set aside the recent verdict of one year in jail and a fine of $500, the verdict of the Southampton Circuit Court when Vick was recently tried on the charge of attempting a conspiracy to poison his son, Hugh Vick. The attorneys for the accused are Jno. N. Sebrell and Col. Geo. C. Cabell of Norfolk, while Commonwealth's Attorney Watkins and Hugh L. Holland of Suffolk represent the State. Failing to secure a favorable opinion from the Judge to have the verdict set aside, Vick asked for a stay of execution of sentence, which was also overruled by the Court. Vick's bond was continued and application was made for writ of error to the Virginia Court of Appeals. Levy VICK, convicted 17 Apr 1929, Courtland, of attempted murder of son Hugh, 9 Mar 1929 *Additional information: Levy VICK (1882 - 1941) is buried with his second wife in Hollywood Cemetery. Newsoms. Southampton County Historical Society {SCHS} Cemetery Project, Hollywood list (N-70): http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/southampton/cemeteries/hollywd.txt His obit ("Tidewater News," Aug. 8, 1941, p. 1) is posted at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/southampton/obits/v200l6ob.txt Hugh VICK (1907 - 1966) is buried in Southampton Memorial Park - Christus II, Plot 58. SCHS Cemetery Project, Southampton Memorial list: http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/southampton/cemeteries/somempk.txt His obit appeared in the "Tidewater News," Nov. 3, 1966. Hugh's mother Effie J. (WORRELL) POPE (1885 - 1916) is buried with her parents in a WORRELL family cemetery, on Fullers Mill Rd., near Boykins. SCHS Cemetery Project, Miscellaneous Cemeteries, Vol. 8 (VIII-7): http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/southampton/cemeteries/miscvol8.txt Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by File Manager Matt Harris (zoobug64@aol.com). file at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/southampton/news/19290418nh.txt