The Famous Forbes Case of Buckingham County: Part XLVIII

The Prisoners Move to Farmville

On November 23, 1904, Quoit informed the loyal readers of the Appomattox and Buckingham Times of the next development in the Famous Forbes Case – the transfer of the prisoners to Farmville.

Under the guard of Deputy Sheriffs Williams and McCraw and Mr. F H. Spencer and others, Messrs. Charlie Forbes and E. C. Wooldridge were taken to the Farmville jail preparatory to the arrangement for the second time upon the charge of houseburning. The morning before he [Wooldridge?] left he requested that he not be handcuffed en route to Farmville; but the officer informed him that he could not grant the request. As he proposed to take every legal precaution for the safe delivery of his prisoners at their destination. This about terminates the connection of this place with this now famous case. The interest here, however, is still alive, and the final result will be watched with interest.

Though Quoit had lost his front row seat for the next trial and his convenient proximity to Charlie Forbes and Cliff Wooldridge, the Appomattox and Buckingham Times continued to report on the case. In the same issue the editor ran a news article on page four, describing the decision to change the venue to Farmville. The paper reprinted, in part, news from the previous day’s The Times-Dispatch:

Wooldridge was accompanied in court by his two daughters, both comely. They sat by their father with sadden countenances, and only left him when the officers led him and Forbes out of the court room for the jail. [From] Tuesday’s Times-Dispatch.

The prisoners looked very well concerning their long term of confinement. Forbes was seated some distance from Wooldridge – they are not on good terms it is said. Wooldridge was especially talkative and did not appear the least depressed.

Neither Mrs. Wooldridge nor Miss Janie Forbes were present.

Coming next: Jail in Farmville

Need to catch up? Click here for The Famous Forbes Case of Buckingham County: Part I