Relic on the Lethe

After our lengthy visit to Clarke County, it seems fitting to take a short break with some poetry, this time printed in the Staunton Spectator, 29 August 1894 . The poem appears to have been written quite some time before it made its way to Staunton, with the earliest sighting found to date being in 1860 in the New York Saturday Press .  Unfortunately, the author's name has been anonymized with very common initials and a plain last name, and we've been unable to track down this poem printed in another location to help us hone in on the complete name for more in-depth research. This means we've also been unable to find any other examples of this poet's work, so at the end of the day we'll have to consider this still a case of "author unknown" despite being signed. Like our earlier Valentine stories, this poem should be out of copyright in the US, so the entire poem is reprinted here. Enjoy this glimpse of the 19th century! EYES OF BROWN AND BLUE.  Out of ...

If you're just joining us on this long and twisting tale, you can catch up with Part One , Part Two , and Part Three . Today's entry should be our final entry into the saga of the Little family, and it will not have any detailed medical testimony (just in case you're squeamish). To quickly recap where we left off, the first trial for Lycurgus Little was held over two weeks in October of 1873 in Berryville, with Judge Turner presiding. At the end, Lycurgus was deemed guilty of second degree murder. Lycurgus' Sentencing The sentence was proclaimed on the following Saturday, around 3 PM. Lycurgus was said to be pale but composed, "though a few tears were shed." According to the Winchester News : Judge Turner then proceeded to pronounce the sentence of the court, in conformity with the decision of the jury. When the Judge mentioned the term of imprisonment, the prisoner interrupted him by asking. “How long, Judge?" “Fourteen years,” replied the Judge; “bu...