Src: Library of Virginia, 800 East Broad Street, Richmond, VA 23219-8000, FIN#5406001813 #14879 Virginia Legislative Petitions, Caroline County, 1776-1861 Reel 35, pp 738-741 Petition relating to William Norment, 21 January 1846 Caroline County, Box 50, Folder 32, 1846 Jan. 21 To the Legislature of the State of Virginia. Your Petitioners, the subscribers, beg leave respectfully represent to your honorable body, that some time during the year 1844 a certain William Norment, late of the county of Caroline, and now a Convict in the Penitentiary of the State, was arrested and committed to the County Jail upon the charge of Rape preferred against him by his own Daughter. In consequence of the enormity of the offence charged against him the public mind became so inflamed and excited, that the Circuit Spr. Court of Law & Chancery for the said county of Caroline, deemed it necessary upon the application of the Prisoner to change the venue to the County of Hanover. There the Prisoner had his trial and was duly convicted of the offence with which he was charged, and his term of confinement in the Penitentiary was fixed at Twenty-one years. Hereupon the application of the prisoner the verdict was set aside, by the Court, and a new trial granted him, and again the venue was changed to the County of Louisa, where the prisoner was again convicted, and sentenced to Eighteen years imprisonment in the Penitentiary House. Your petitioners beg leave further to represent that the expenses of this prosecution as they are advised, have been very heavy, owing to the repeated changes of the venue, the number of Witnesses sumoned, the necessity of Guarding the Jail, in which the prisoner was confined during the entire period of his confinement, and the mileage allowed the witnesses for attending the trial out of their respective Counties. They are also advised that the claim of the Commonwealth against the Estate Frame 0740 the prisoner, if enforced would exhaust the whole estate and will leave [line partially obliterated by crease line] by a respectable family in a state of total dependance, and absolute need. At the time of the arrest of the Prisoner he had a wife and nine Children, all except two are infants under the age of Twenty-one, and in a state of dependance. The estate at this period which the prisoner held in possession consisted of about twenty one negroes little and big, a very poor tract of land containing about four hundred and thirty acres, and the usual amount of perishable Estate. Since the arrest of the prisoner, the whole of the perishable estate has been exhausted in the satisfaction of a number of executions against him, and the following negroes have been sold under four several Deeds of Trust given by the prisoner for the purpose of securing sundry debts mentioned in said deeds. Viz: Rachel, Molly, Clara, Cynthea, Daniel, Amy, Guy, Lila, Joe, John, David, Moses and ____, leaving now in the possession of the Family James[?] and her Children George, Billy, Henry, Hilyard, Hannah, Mary, Louisa and Martha. In these negroes, the prisoner has only a life Estate, with remainder in fee to his Children. This limitation is created by the Will of Saml Norment, the Grandfather of the Children, and the sale of them for a period longer than the life of Wm Norment has been enjoined by the Circuit Sup. Court of Law & Chancery of the County of Caroline as well appear by a copy of the decree herewith filed. From the foregoing statement of facts it is evident that a large and very worthy family who has had no agency whatever in producing their present melancholy, and deplorable condition, if the Commonwealth enforces the collection of its claims, will be rendered Houseless and Homeless, and cast upon the charities of the public. Their present condition appears in our Judgements forcebly and urgently to the tender Sympathies of the Legislature. Your Petitioners therefore most respectfully pray that the Commonwealths right to be reimbersed out of the Estate of the prisoner, the expenses of the prosecution be not enforced, and that the small remnant of the estate now left, be settled upon the Wife and Children, and as in duty bound they will ever pray [Col. 1 of signatures] Henry Hill James Hill John N. Doggett Jno. B. Tod James Eubank Saml D Peatross Ira L. Bowles Joseph Taylor Louis T. Taliaferro Ro. Taylor Rob W. Fox Charles J. Fox Ezekial L. Wood Jr[?] James G. White D. Ridel Richard Eubank Wm Taylor Alex B. West Robt L. Peatross] James C. Luck [might be a small x between James & C.] Isaac Butler [might be a small x between Isaac and Butler] Louis E. Taliaferro Arch I. Hill [or J.] [Col. 2 of signatures] Edmund C. Chiles William Mallory Patrick H. Jones Richd Baughan [?] George W. Peatross Charles C. Bowers William R. Peatross J W Peatross James H. Stevens Edmund West John E. Bowers Saml S. Sumner Horace White C. M. Harris [?] M. Mason John T. Harris Ro. G. Hill John W. Gordon Rubun W. Kesterson John S. Farish Jno A. Scott July 21st 1846 ref'd to Claims [note that the act was passed before the referral to Claims] -------- Acts passed at a General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia CHAP. 194.-An ACT releasing the commonwealth's costs, incurred in the prosecution of William Norment, to the family of said Norment. [Passed March 3, 1846.] Preamble. Whereas it is represented to the general assembly, that the costs and expenses incurred in the prosecution of William Norment, late of the county of Caroline, and now in the penitentiary for a rape, have become enormous, in consequence of a change of venue twice to counties distant from that in which the witnesses resided, and of the necessity of supporting and keeping a guard in constant attendance at the jail in which said Norment was confined, during the whole period of his confinement, and from other causes : And whereas it is also represented, that if the commonwealth shall enforce her claim and demand to said costs and expenses, the family of said Norment will thereby be reduced to penury and want: And whereas, under the peculiar circumstances of this case, it is deemed right and proper that the commonwealth should release her right in and to the costs and expenses aforesaid, with a view of settling them upon the family of said Norment, who are the innocent sufferers from this prosecution : Therefore, 1. Be it enacted by the general assembly, That the commonwealth's right and demand to the costs and expenses incurred in the prosecution of William Norment as aforesaid, hereafter to be ascertained, shall be and the same are hereby released and conveyed to Francis W. Scott, Richard M. Bridges and Henry Hill, trustees, in trust for the benefit of the wife and children of the said Norment. And the trustees aforesaid are hereby invested (in the collection of the costs aforesaid,) with all the power and authority now possessed and exercised by the commonwealth in the collection of costs in criminal causes. 2. And be it further enacted, That should the said Norment survive the period of his incarceration in the penitentiary, it is hereby distinctly understood and expressly declared, that he is to have no interest in nor claim to the property hereby conveyed; nor shall he exercise any control over the same, it being the object and design of the general assembly to secure to his wife and children the use and enjoyment of the property hereby conveyed, and to exclude him from all benefit and participation therein. 3. This act shall be in force from the passing thereof.