The breakfast room
In early July 1873, according to the Clarke Courier's account, part of the Little family was at breakfast at their father's house in Clarke County when two of the six brothers came into the dining room, locked the door behind them, and put the key in a pocket. The Courier's July 10 account gave little explanation for the violence. It said that, at the coroner's inquest, the family “was careful to divulge only that which was the immediate cause of his death.” A Baltimore Sun correspondent, writing from Winchester the day after the killing, reported words spoken in the room: that Oscar told his brother Clinton they had nothing against him and did not want him to interfere in what they were about to do. The Courier does not carry them, and said that little evidence established what was said before the shot. Both papers report that Lycurgus fired the shot that killed Clinton.
Source note: Clarke Courier, 1873
The Clarke Courier of July 10, 1873 reported that part of the Little family was at breakfast at their father's house in Clarke County when two of the six brothers entered the dining room, locked the door and pocketed the key, and that Lycurgus Little fired the shot that killed his brother Clinton.
What the source supports
What the Courier reported had happened, and who fired.
Uncertainty
A newspaper report published days after the event, not a court record. The sources disagree on the date and on where the house stood.
Source
Evidence role: supports. The killing as the Courier set it out.
Clarke Courier (Berryville, Va.), July 10, 1873, page 3: the Little killing reported
Clarke Courier · 1873-07-10 (publication)
Locator: Page 3, column 1, the Little killing
Relevant passageA general fight ensued, in which the mother received a wound in the thigh from a pistol ball, which shooting, it seems, was unintentional, she having endeavored to shield Clinton from the assault, and in doing so got between him and Lycurgus' pistol.
Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.
Open sourceSource family: clarke-courier-little-case-1873-1876. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.
AI-assisted source check (Claude Opus 5) · 2026-09-23. How this project checks its sources
Source note: Clarke Courier, 1873
The Courier said little was known of the causes because the family at the coroner's inquest was careful to divulge only that which was the immediate cause of his death.
What the source supports
Why the published record explains so little.
Uncertainty
This reports the paper's characterisation of the inquest, not the inquest record itself, which was not examined.
Source
Evidence role: supports. The paper's own account of why it could say so little.
Clarke Courier (Berryville, Va.), July 10, 1873, page 3: the Little killing reported
Clarke Courier · 1873-07-10 (publication)
Locator: Page 3, column 1, the inquest
Relevant passageIn regard to the causes that led to this sad tragedy but little is known, as the family at the coroner's inquest over the dead body of Clinton, was careful to divulge only that which was the immediate cause of his death.
Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.
Open sourceSource family: clarke-courier-little-case-1873-1876. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.
AI-assisted source check (Claude Opus 5) · 2026-09-23. How this project checks its sources
Source note: Alexandria Daily State Journal, 1873
A Baltimore Sun special from Winchester, reprinted in the Alexandria Daily State Journal of July 7, 1873, reported that Oscar Little told Clinton they had nothing against him and did not want him to interfere in what they were about to do.
What the source supports
What one early report said was spoken in the room.
Uncertainty
Filed the day after the killing and reprinted three days later. The Clarke Courier, reporting on July 10, does not carry these words, and said that little evidence established what was said before the shot. That is an absence of corroboration in the Courier, not a contradiction of the Sun, and this account is reported as that paper’s rather than as established.
Source
Evidence role: supports. The words as the Sun's correspondent gave them.
Alexandria Daily State Journal, July 7, 1873, page 1: a Baltimore Sun special from Winchester on the Little killing
Alexandria Daily State Journal · 1873-07-07 (publication)
Locator: Page 1, the Baltimore Sun special from Winchester
Relevant passageOscar, addressing himself to Clinton, said that they had nothing against him and did not want him to interfere in what they were about to do.
Checked: Existing OCR reviewed. Original image not independently inspected.
Open sourceSource family: baltimore-sun-special-1873-little. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.
AI-assisted source check (Claude Opus 5) · 2026-09-23. How this project checks its sources
A general fight
“A general fight ensued,” the Courier reported, “in which the mother received a wound in the thigh from a pistol ball, which shooting, it seems, was unintentional, she having endeavored to shield Clinton from the assault, and in doing so got between him and Lycurgus’ pistol.” Columbus and Gilbert took the revolvers away, and Oscar and Lycurgus ran for the barn, the paper said, “for the purpose, it is supposed, of getting horses to make their escape.” They did not get them. About a hundred yards from the house Gilbert, who had picked up a rifle, fired and hit Oscar in the leg. Oscar gave up, and Lycurgus, “not wishing to desert his brother, also surrendered.”
Source note: Clarke Courier, 1873
The same report said the brothers' mother was wounded in the thigh by a pistol ball, and described the shooting of her as unintentional, she having tried to shield Clinton.
What the source supports
That the mother was wounded, and how the paper accounted for it.
Uncertainty
The phrase it seems is the Courier's own hedge. No inquest or trial record was examined for this story.
Source
Evidence role: supports. The wounding of the mother, in the same paragraph.
Clarke Courier (Berryville, Va.), July 10, 1873, page 3: the Little killing reported
Clarke Courier · 1873-07-10 (publication)
Locator: Page 3, column 1, the Little killing
Relevant passageA general fight ensued, in which the mother received a wound in the thigh from a pistol ball, which shooting, it seems, was unintentional, she having endeavored to shield Clinton from the assault, and in doing so got between him and Lycurgus' pistol.
Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.
Open sourceSource family: clarke-courier-little-case-1873-1876. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.
AI-assisted source check (Claude Opus 5) · 2026-09-23. How this project checks its sources
Source note: Clarke Courier, 1873
The report said Columbus and Gilbert Little took the pistols from Oscar and Lycurgus, who ran toward the barn, and that Gilbert seized a rifle and hit Oscar in the leg, after which both surrendered.
What the source supports
How the Courier said the two were stopped.
Uncertainty
A newspaper account of a struggle inside one family, published before any trial.
Source
Evidence role: supports. The pursuit and the surrender.
Clarke Courier (Berryville, Va.), July 10, 1873, page 3: the Little killing reported
Clarke Courier · 1873-07-10 (publication)
Locator: Page 3, column 1, the pursuit
Relevant passageThe other brothers, Columbus and Gilbert, followed in pursuit, and when the fugitives had gotten about a hundred yards from the house, Gilbert, who in the meantime had seized a rifle, aimed and fired, hitting Oscar in the leg, who thereupon abandoned all efforts to escape, and Lycurgus, not wishing to desert his brother, also surrendered.
Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.
Open sourceSource family: clarke-courier-little-case-1873-1876. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.
AI-assisted source check (Claude Opus 5) · 2026-09-23. How this project checks its sources
Confined in the county jail
“Oscar and Lycurgus are now confined in the county jail, awaiting trial,” the Courier finished. The paper gives no reason for holding them there, and none is supplied here. That confinement was what put Berryville in the Richmond papers. When the Richmond Enquirer sent a correspondent to look the town over, it explained that the place was “brought into prominence at this time from being the place of confinement of the Little brothers, charged with fratricide.” That was the newspaper’s pre-trial description. The reported convictions were for murder in the second degree.
Source note: Clarke Courier, 1873
The Courier reported that Oscar and Lycurgus Little were confined in the county jail, awaiting trial.
What the source supports
Where the two men were held before trial.
Uncertainty
The report states the fact of confinement and gives no reason for it. No reason is supplied here.
Source
Evidence role: supports. The sentence recording the confinement.
Clarke Courier (Berryville, Va.), July 10, 1873, page 3: the Little killing reported
Clarke Courier · 1873-07-10 (publication)
Locator: Page 3, column 1, confinement
Relevant passageOscar and Lycurgus are now confined in the county jail, awaiting trial.
Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.
Open sourceSource family: clarke-courier-little-case-1873-1876. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.
AI-assisted source check (Claude Opus 5) · 2026-09-23. How this project checks its sources
Source note: Clarke Courier, 1873
The Richmond Enquirer, reprinted by the Courier on July 24, 1873, described Berryville as brought into prominence at this time from being the place of confinement of the Little brothers, charged with fratricide.
What the source supports
That the case drew outside attention to the town.
Uncertainty
Charged with fratricide is the Enquirer's wording, printed before either trial. It is not a verdict. The convictions the Courier later reported were for murder in the second degree.
Source
Evidence role: supports. The Enquirer's description, as the Courier reprinted it.
Clarke Courier (Berryville, Va.), July 24, 1873, page 3: the Richmond Enquirer on Berryville
Clarke Courier · 1873-07-24 (publication)
Locator: Page 3, the Richmond Enquirer on Berryville
Relevant passageBerryville, the county seat of Clarke county, is brought into prominence at this time from being the place of confinement of the Little brothers, charged with fratricide.
Checked: Existing OCR reviewed. Original image not independently inspected.
Open sourceSource family: clarke-courier-little-case-1873-1876. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.
AI-assisted source check (Claude Opus 5) · 2026-09-23. How this project checks its sources
it is considered by the court that the said judgment of the Circuit court be reversed and annulled, that the verdict of the jury be set aside, and that the cause be remanded to the said Circuit court for a new trial to be had therein in conformity with the foregoing opinion.
Two years of trials
Lycurgus was convicted at Berryville in October 1873 before Judge Robert H. Turner — murder in the second degree, fourteen years in the penitentiary. Oscar’s trial was moved to Winchester, where a jury convicted him and fixed seven years. Then, in November 1874, the Court of Appeals reversed the decision below in Lycurgus’s case and it went back for retrial. The Court of Appeals did not question the jury’s finding of guilt. It reversed because the trial judge had kept two things from the jury: Lycurgus’s own words to a witness moments after the shooting, offered as part of the immediate event, and evidence that would have let the defense challenge a Commonwealth witness, James F. Milton, Jr. — including an account of what Milton had told the grand jury, and a report that he had said he wished the brothers dead. On that ground alone the higher court sent the case back for a new trial. It said nothing about the length of any sentence, and nothing here explains why the second jury settled on five years.
Source note: Clarke Courier, 1873
The Courier of October 30, 1873 reported that Lycurgus Little was convicted at Berryville, before Judge Robert H. Turner, of murder in the second degree, and sentenced to fourteen years in the penitentiary.
What the source supports
The first verdict and sentence.
Uncertainty
Read as text layer only; no page image was inspected for this issue.
Source
Evidence role: supports. The first verdict.
Clarke Courier (Berryville, Va.), October 30, 1873, page 3: the verdict on Lycurgus Little
Clarke Courier · 1873-10-30 (publication)
Locator: Page 3, the verdict on Lycurgus Little
Relevant passagethe jury bringing in a verdict of guilty of murder in the second degree, and fixing his punishment by imprisonment in the penitentiary for fourteen years.
Checked: Existing OCR reviewed. Original image not independently inspected.
Open sourceSource family: clarke-courier-little-case-1873-1876. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.
AI-assisted source check (Claude Opus 5) · 2026-09-23. How this project checks its sources
Source note: Clarke Courier, 1873
The Courier of December 4, 1873 reported that Oscar Little, tried at Winchester after the case was removed from Clarke County, was convicted and given seven years.
What the source supports
The second trial's verdict and sentence.
Uncertainty
Read as text layer only; no page image was inspected for this issue.
Source
Evidence role: supports. The Winchester verdict.
Clarke Courier (Berryville, Va.), December 4, 1873, page 3: the verdict on Oscar Little
Clarke Courier · 1873-12-04 (publication)
Locator: Page 3, the verdict on Oscar Little
Relevant passagethe jury bringing in a verdict, after an hour's absence, of guilty, and fixing his term of imprisonment in the penitentiary at seven years.
Checked: Existing OCR reviewed. Original image not independently inspected.
Open sourceSource family: clarke-courier-little-case-1873-1876. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.
AI-assisted source check (Claude Opus 5) · 2026-09-23. How this project checks its sources
Source note: Clarke Courier, 1874
The Courier of November 12, 1874 reported that the Court of Appeals had reversed the decision below in the case of the Commonwealth against Lycurgus Little.
What the source supports
That the first conviction did not stand.
Uncertainty
A newspaper summary of an appellate decision, reported before the court's own reasoning reached this paper. The court's own opinion is examined separately, in its own words and with its own limitations (see C1268).
Source
Evidence role: supports. The reversal.
Clarke Courier (Berryville, Va.), November 12, 1874, page 3: a new trial granted
Clarke Courier · 1874-11-12 (publication)
Locator: Page 3, a new trial granted
Relevant passagethe Court of Appeals has reversed the decisions of the court below in the case of the Commonwealth vs. Lycurgus Little
Checked: Existing OCR reviewed. Original image not independently inspected.
Open sourceSource family: clarke-courier-little-case-1873-1876. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.
AI-assisted source check (Claude Opus 5) · 2026-09-23. How this project checks its sources
Source note: Supreme Court of Appeals of Virginia, 1874
The Court of Appeals opinion in Little v. Commonwealth gives the court's own grounds for the November 1874 reversal: the trial court had excluded a statement Lycurgus Little made to a witness moments after the shooting, refused to let the defense recall a Commonwealth witness, James F. Milton, Jr., for impeachment, excluded testimony that Milton's account before the grand jury differed from his trial testimony, and excluded testimony that Milton had said he wished the prisoners dead. On those grounds the court reversed the conviction and remanded for a new trial. It did not question the jury's finding of guilt and did not address sentencing.
What the source supports
The evidentiary grounds for the reversal, in the court's own words rather than a newspaper's summary.
Uncertainty
Read from a full-text electronic edition, not an inspected page image. The citation under which the opinion is indexed, 25 Va. 921, does not match the opinion's own internal pagination (*619-*624); that discrepancy is unresolved (see S648). This claim covers only why the case was reversed and sent back for retrial. It does not explain, and must not be read to explain, why the second jury set the term at five years where the first set fourteen — the published record gives no reason for that number (see C1010), and the jury's actual reasoning is not established by this or any other source examined for this story.
Source
Evidence role: supports. The excluded res gestae statement.
Little v. Commonwealth, 25 Va. 921 (1874): the Court of Appeals opinion reversing Lycurgus Little's first conviction
Supreme Court of Appeals of Virginia · 1874-09-15 (publication)
Locator: The excluded statement to Hattie Prichard
Relevant passageWe think that the court erred in refusing to permit the witness to state what was said by the prisoner on the occasion referred to. What was so said might well have been, in whole or in part, admissible evidence, either for or against the prisoner.
Checked: Page text reviewed. Original image not independently inspected.
Open sourceSource family: clarke-courier-little-case-1873-1876. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.
Evidence role: supports. The refused recall of Milton.
Little v. Commonwealth, 25 Va. 921 (1874): the Court of Appeals opinion reversing Lycurgus Little's first conviction
Supreme Court of Appeals of Virginia · 1874-09-15 (publication)
Locator: The refusal to recall Milton
Relevant passagethe court certainly erred either in refusing to permit the witness, Milton, to be recalled as aforesaid, or in refusing to permit Hesser to be examined as a witness to contradict the testimony of Milton.
Checked: Page text reviewed. Original image not independently inspected.
Open sourceSource family: clarke-courier-little-case-1873-1876. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.
Evidence role: supports. The excluded grand-jury contradiction.
Little v. Commonwealth, 25 Va. 921 (1874): the Court of Appeals opinion reversing Lycurgus Little's first conviction
Supreme Court of Appeals of Virginia · 1874-09-15 (publication)
Locator: The excluded grand-jury contradiction
Relevant passageWe are of opinion that the court erred in such refusal, whatever may have been the ground on which it was based.
Checked: Page text reviewed. Original image not independently inspected.
Open sourceSource family: clarke-courier-little-case-1873-1876. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.
Evidence role: supports. The excluded threat testimony.
Little v. Commonwealth, 25 Va. 921 (1874): the Court of Appeals opinion reversing Lycurgus Little's first conviction
Supreme Court of Appeals of Virginia · 1874-09-15 (publication)
Locator: The excluded threat testimony
Relevant passageWe think that the court erred in so ruling; and that there was a sufficient specification as to the time, place and persons involved in the supposed contradiction, within the meaning of the law on this subject.
Checked: Page text reviewed. Original image not independently inspected.
Open sourceSource family: clarke-courier-little-case-1873-1876. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.
Evidence role: supports. The reversal and remand.
Little v. Commonwealth, 25 Va. 921 (1874): the Court of Appeals opinion reversing Lycurgus Little's first conviction
Supreme Court of Appeals of Virginia · 1874-09-15 (publication)
Locator: The disposition
Relevant passageit is considered by the court that the said judgment of the Circuit court be reversed and annulled, that the verdict of the jury be set aside, and that the cause be remanded to the said Circuit court for a new trial to be had therein in conformity with the foregoing opinion.
Checked: Page text reviewed. Original image not independently inspected.
Open sourceSource family: clarke-courier-little-case-1873-1876. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.
AI-assisted source check (Claude Sonnet 5) · 2026-09-28. How this project checks its sources
A witness changes his account
At the second trial the Commonwealth called Gilbert Little, who now testified that the killing had been accidental. He had told the coroner’s inquest otherwise. He explained the difference by saying that the first statement was made under the influence of an opiate and that he was not in his right mind when he gave it. Judge Turner allowed the earlier statement in to impeach him, but expressly not for or against the prisoner. The jury convicted again on the same charge and cut the term to five years.
Source note: Clarke Courier, 1875
The Courier of April 8, 1875 reported that Gilbert Little, called by the prosecution at the second trial, testified that the killing was accidental, and that, having told the coroner's inquest otherwise, he explained the difference by saying the first statement was made under the influence of an opiate and that he was not in his right mind. Judge Turner allowed the earlier statement to impeach him but not for or against the prisoner.
What the source supports
Why a witness changed his account, in his own stated terms, and what the court did with it.
Uncertainty
This is the witness's explanation as the paper reported it, not a finding that it was true.
Source
Evidence role: supports. The witness's stated reason.
Clarke Courier (Berryville, Va.), April 8, 1875, page 3: Gilbert Little's testimony
Clarke Courier · 1875-04-08 (publication)
Locator: Page 3, column 1, Gilbert Little's testimony
Relevant passagehe accounted for the difference in his statements by saying that the first was made under the influence of an opiate, and that he was not in his right mind when he testified before acting coroner Wharton.
Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.
Open sourceSource family: clarke-courier-little-case-1873-1876. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.
Evidence role: supports. The court's ruling on the earlier statement.
Clarke Courier (Berryville, Va.), April 8, 1875, page 3: Gilbert Little's testimony
Clarke Courier · 1875-04-08 (publication)
Locator: Page 3, column 1, the ruling on the inquest statement
Relevant passageJudge Turner decided that it might be used to impeach his testimony in court, but not for or against the prisoner.
Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.
Open sourceSource family: clarke-courier-little-case-1873-1876. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.
AI-assisted source check (Claude Opus 5) · 2026-09-23. How this project checks its sources
Source note: Clarke Courier, 1875
The Courier of April 15, 1875 reported that the second jury again found murder in the second degree and fixed the term at five years.
What the source supports
The outcome of the retrial.
Uncertainty
The reduction from fourteen years to five is the difference between two juries, and the paper gives no reason for it. The Court of Appeals opinion that sent the case back for retrial (C1268) does not address sentencing either; it explains why there was a second trial, not what the second jury weighed in setting the term.
Source
Evidence role: supports. The second verdict and term.
Clarke Courier (Berryville, Va.), April 15, 1875, page 3: the second verdict
Clarke Courier · 1875-04-15 (publication)
Locator: Page 3, column 2, the second verdict
Relevant passagethe jury returning a verdict of guilty of murder in the second degree, and fixing the term of the prisoner, Lycurgus Little, in the penitentiary at five years.
Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.
Open sourceSource family: clarke-courier-little-case-1873-1876. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.
AI-assisted source check (Claude Opus 5) · 2026-09-23. How this project checks its sources
Pardons refused
In April 1876 the Courier reported, under the heading “Pardons Refused,” that Governor Kemper had declined to pardon either man, after referring the application to Judge Turner, who declined to join it.
Source note: Clarke Courier, 1876
The Courier of April 6, 1876 reported, under the heading Pardons Refused, that Governor Kemper declined to pardon Lycurgus and Oscar Little after referring the application to Judge Turner, who declined to join it.
What the source supports
That a pardon was sought and refused.
Uncertainty
The Courier credits the Richmond Whig for the news. No executive or penitentiary record was examined.
Source
Evidence role: supports. The refusal.
Clarke Courier (Berryville, Va.), April 6, 1876, page 3: pardons refused
Clarke Courier · 1876-04-06 (publication)
Locator: Page 3, column 2, pardons refused
Relevant passageThe Governor refused to grant their pardon, after referring the matter to Judge Turner, who wrote as follows on the application
Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.
Open sourceSource family: clarke-courier-little-case-1873-1876. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.
AI-assisted source check (Claude Opus 5) · 2026-09-23. How this project checks its sources
About the accountsWhat the evidence says
Nine newspaper issues: eight of the Clarke Courier across four years, and one Alexandria Daily State Journal carrying a Baltimore Sun special. Four were read on the page image. One court opinion was also read in full text, though not on a page image, and no other court record was examined.
Four separate Courier issues were read on the page image, and each carries a different part of the story: July 10, 1873 for the killing, the wounding of the mother, the pursuit, the inquest and the confinement; April 8, 1875 for Gilbert Little’s changed testimony and the judge’s ruling on it; April 15, 1875 for the second verdict; and April 6, 1876 for the refusal of a pardon. Four further Courier issues — July 24, 1873, October 30, 1873, December 4, 1873 and November 12, 1874 — were read as text only, without a page image, and carry the Enquirer’s description, the two 1873 verdicts and the 1874 reversal. The words spoken in the room come from a ninth issue, the Alexandria Daily State Journal of July 7, 1873, reprinting a Baltimore Sun special, and are reported as that paper’s account; the Courier does not carry them. The Court of Appeals opinion reversing the first conviction, Little v. Commonwealth, was read as a full-text electronic edition, not a page image; its citation does not match its own internal pagination, which is unresolved. No inquest record or penitentiary register was consulted.
- An account exists✓ Supported by a source
The Clarke Courier of July 10, 1873 reported that part of the Little family was at breakfast at their father's house in Clarke County when two of the six brothers entered the dining room, locked the door and pocketed the key, and that Lycurgus Little fired the shot that killed his brother Clinton.
See the evidence
✓ Supported by a sourceAn account existsThe Clarke Courier of July 10, 1873 reported that part of the Little family was at breakfast at their father's house in Clarke County when two of the six brothers entered the dining room, locked the door and pocketed the key, and that Lycurgus Little fired the shot that killed his brother Clinton.
What the source supports
What the Courier reported had happened, and who fired.
Uncertainty
A newspaper report published days after the event, not a court record. The sources disagree on the date and on where the house stood.
Source
Reporting Evidence role: supports. The killing as the Courier set it out.
Clarke Courier (Berryville, Va.), July 10, 1873, page 3: the Little killing reported
Clarke Courier · 1873-07-10 (publication)
Locator: Page 3, column 1, the Little killing
Relevant passageA general fight ensued, in which the mother received a wound in the thigh from a pistol ball, which shooting, it seems, was unintentional, she having endeavored to shield Clinton from the assault, and in doing so got between him and Lycurgus' pistol.
Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.
Open sourceSource family: clarke-courier-little-case-1873-1876. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.
AI-assisted source check (Claude Opus 5) · 2026-09-23. How this project checks its sources
- An account exists✓ Supported by a source
The Courier reported that Oscar and Lycurgus Little were confined in the county jail, awaiting trial.
See the evidence
✓ Supported by a sourceAn account existsThe Courier reported that Oscar and Lycurgus Little were confined in the county jail, awaiting trial.
What the source supports
Where the two men were held before trial.
Uncertainty
The report states the fact of confinement and gives no reason for it. No reason is supplied here.
Source
Reporting Evidence role: supports. The sentence recording the confinement.
Clarke Courier (Berryville, Va.), July 10, 1873, page 3: the Little killing reported
Clarke Courier · 1873-07-10 (publication)
Locator: Page 3, column 1, confinement
Relevant passageOscar and Lycurgus are now confined in the county jail, awaiting trial.
Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.
Open sourceSource family: clarke-courier-little-case-1873-1876. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.
AI-assisted source check (Claude Opus 5) · 2026-09-23. How this project checks its sources
- An account exists✓ Supported by a source
The Courier of April 8, 1875 reported that Gilbert Little, called by the prosecution at the second trial, testified that the killing was accidental, and that, having told the coroner's inquest otherwise, he explained the difference by saying the first statement was made under the influence of an opiate and that he was not in his right mind. Judge Turner allowed the earlier statement to impeach him but not for or against the prisoner.
See the evidence
✓ Supported by a sourceAn account existsThe Courier of April 8, 1875 reported that Gilbert Little, called by the prosecution at the second trial, testified that the killing was accidental, and that, having told the coroner's inquest otherwise, he explained the difference by saying the first statement was made under the influence of an opiate and that he was not in his right mind. Judge Turner allowed the earlier statement to impeach him but not for or against the prisoner.
What the source supports
Why a witness changed his account, in his own stated terms, and what the court did with it.
Uncertainty
This is the witness's explanation as the paper reported it, not a finding that it was true.
Source
Reporting Evidence role: supports. The witness's stated reason.
Clarke Courier (Berryville, Va.), April 8, 1875, page 3: Gilbert Little's testimony
Clarke Courier · 1875-04-08 (publication)
Locator: Page 3, column 1, Gilbert Little's testimony
Relevant passagehe accounted for the difference in his statements by saying that the first was made under the influence of an opiate, and that he was not in his right mind when he testified before acting coroner Wharton.
Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.
Open sourceSource family: clarke-courier-little-case-1873-1876. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.
Reporting Evidence role: supports. The court's ruling on the earlier statement.
Clarke Courier (Berryville, Va.), April 8, 1875, page 3: Gilbert Little's testimony
Clarke Courier · 1875-04-08 (publication)
Locator: Page 3, column 1, the ruling on the inquest statement
Relevant passageJudge Turner decided that it might be used to impeach his testimony in court, but not for or against the prisoner.
Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.
Open sourceSource family: clarke-courier-little-case-1873-1876. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.
AI-assisted source check (Claude Opus 5) · 2026-09-23. How this project checks its sources
- That it was so? Unconfirmed
The sources disagree about when and where the killing happened: one account places it on July 5 and another on July 6, 1873, and the house is put about seven miles from Winchester in one report and at White Post, near Berryville, in others.
See the evidence
? UnconfirmedThat it was soThe sources disagree about when and where the killing happened: one account places it on July 5 and another on July 6, 1873, and the house is put about seven miles from Winchester in one report and at White Post, near Berryville, in others.
What the source supports
That two basic facts of the case are unsettled in the published record.
Uncertainty
Neither disagreement is resolved here. No deed, plat or court record was consulted.
Source
Reporting Evidence role: supports. The July 10 report is one of the accounts that disagree; the others lie outside this story's sources.
Clarke Courier (Berryville, Va.), July 10, 1873, page 3: the Little killing reported
Clarke Courier · 1873-07-10 (publication)
Locator: Page 3, column 1, the Little killing
Relevant passageA general fight ensued, in which the mother received a wound in the thigh from a pistol ball, which shooting, it seems, was unintentional, she having endeavored to shield Clinton from the assault, and in doing so got between him and Lycurgus' pistol.
Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.
Open sourceSource family: clarke-courier-little-case-1873-1876. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.
AI-assisted source check (Claude Opus 5) · 2026-09-23. How this project checks its sources
Each statement above is assessed on its own evidence. Nothing here is averaged, scored or voted on, and a well-attributed account can be documented while what it describes stays unconfirmed.
What this record does not settle
Two plain facts are unsettled in the published accounts. The papers of that week disagree whether the killing was on July 5 or July 6, and they place the house differently — about seven miles from Winchester in one report, at White Post near Berryville in others. Neither is resolved here, and no deed, court file or inquest record was examined for this story. What follows the killing is a newspaper record of a criminal case, not the case file itself.
Source note: Clarke Courier, 1873
The sources disagree about when and where the killing happened: one account places it on July 5 and another on July 6, 1873, and the house is put about seven miles from Winchester in one report and at White Post, near Berryville, in others.
What the source supports
That two basic facts of the case are unsettled in the published record.
Uncertainty
Neither disagreement is resolved here. No deed, plat or court record was consulted.
Source
Evidence role: supports. The July 10 report is one of the accounts that disagree; the others lie outside this story's sources.
Clarke Courier (Berryville, Va.), July 10, 1873, page 3: the Little killing reported
Clarke Courier · 1873-07-10 (publication)
Locator: Page 3, column 1, the Little killing
Relevant passageA general fight ensued, in which the mother received a wound in the thigh from a pistol ball, which shooting, it seems, was unintentional, she having endeavored to shield Clinton from the assault, and in doing so got between him and Lycurgus' pistol.
Checked: Original inspected. A digital reproduction was inspected; no original has been handled.
Open sourceSource family: clarke-courier-little-case-1873-1876. Multiple passages from one source are not independent witnesses.
AI-assisted source check (Claude Opus 5) · 2026-09-23. How this project checks its sources
Why did the second jury fix five years where the first fixed fourteen?
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Go deeper: every source under this story Follow another threadHuman remains found at Berryville's bank site in 1881
Another Berryville story that turns on what a newspaper did and did not report. An editorial connection, not a personal one.