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Virginia Christian

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Virginia Christian
Photograph of Virginia Christian in 1912
Born(1895-08-15)August 15, 1895
Hampton City, Virginia, U.S.
DiedAugust 16, 1912(1912-08-16) (aged 17)
Virginia State Penitentiary, Richmond, Virginia, U.S.
Cause of deathExecution by electrocution
Resting placeFirst Baptist Church-Hampton Cemetery
Hampton City, Virginia, U.S.
Other namesGennie
Criminal chargesFirst degree murder
Criminal penaltyDeath
Criminal statusExecuted

Virginia Christian (August 15, 1895 – August 16, 1912) was a child executed in the United States. Christian, an intellectually disabled black maid, was convicted of the murder of her employer Ida Belote, a 51-year-old white woman, in her home at Hampton on March 18, 1912.

She was the first female executed in the 20th century in the state of Virginia. She was also the only female child executed by electric chair and, to date, the last female executed in the electric chair by the Commonwealth of Virginia. The state did not execute another female prisoner until Teresa Lewis in 2010.

Early life

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Virginia Christian was born on August 15, 1895.[1] She was the third child and oldest daughter of Henry Christian and Charlotte Christian.[2][3]

When Virginia was 13, her mother become paralyzed and unable to work.[4] Her father earned $1.25 per day working as a fisherman and performing odd jobs.[5] To help support her family, Virginia dropped out of the Whittier Training School to work for as a laundress for Ida Belote, earning $4 per week.[3][2] Before marrying Henry, Charlotte Christian had worked for the Belotes, and Henry had sold them fish.[6]. Belote had a reputation for being difficult and temperamental, and both Henry and Virginia's aunt Harriet Christian discouraged her from taking the job.[7]

The Newport News Times-Herald wrote that "her intelligence is below average".[8] The Richmond Times-Dispatch wrote that she "possesses little sensibility".[9] David V. Baker believes she was intellectually disabled.[10][11]

Killing of Ida Belote

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On March 18, 1912, Ida Belote visited the Christian house and accused Virginia of stealing a skirt. Virginia was told by her mother to visit Belote's house and resolve the dispute. Once she arrived, Belote also accused her of stealing a gold locket. Virginia Christian denied stealing anything and threatened to quit.[12] In response, Belote attacked her with a spittoon. Christian responded by striking Belote's head with a broomstick, then forced a towel five inches down her throat, suffocating her; in her confession, Christian stated she and Belote both raced to grab separate broom handles, and that she put the towel in Belote's mouth to stop her from screaming. Christian fled with Belote's pocketbook, which contained money and a ring.[13][4][8]

After the confrontation, Christian returned home to do chores. Two of Belote's children discovered her body, and the police reported seeing a trail of blood and overturned furniture in her house. One hour and 15 minutes after the killing, Virginia was arrested and charged with first-degree murder.[14] In jail, without speaking to an attorney, she confessed to attacking Belote. However, she maintained she acted in self-defense and had not meant to kill her.[13][4]

Trial

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Christian's trial began on April 8, 1912. She was defended by two black lawyers: Joseph Thomas Newsome and George Washington Fields. The jury was entirely white and male. Since first-degree murder carried a mandatory death penalty, the defense attempted to reduce the charges to second-degree murder by arguing the killing was a crime of passion, not premeditated. The defense also emphasized her femininity and youth, introducing records from Christian's school and her family Bible to prove she was a minor; despite this evidence, the prosecution claimed Christian was an adult. The prosecution argued that Christian wanted to rob Belote, and that the attack was the result of premeditated burglary.[15] The prosecution also argued that forcing the towel so far down Belote's throat required an instrument and would have taken minutes, which was sufficient to show premeditation.[4] Christian asked to testify in her own defense, but her lawyers refused; George Washington Fields, who considered her "a coarse-mannered, homely girl and extremely ignorant", worried she might provoke a disturbance or alienate the jury.[16][1] Later, Joseph Newsome wrote that he regretted preventing her testimony, since letting her demonstrate her ignorance might have prompted a new trial.[17] On April 9, after 23 minutes of deliberation, the jury returned a verdict of Guilty.[17][16]

Public reaction

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The Chicago Evening World opposed Christian's execution. In this political cartoon, the newspaper compared Christian to Socrates, arguing that Christian's execution was less humane.[18]

After the trial, multiple groups petitioned William Hodges Mann, the governor of Virginia, for clemency. Christian's lawyer sent a petition explaining that he had refrained from calling her to testify in her defense out of concern that her words might incite a violent courtroom outburst.[19]

Members of the National Association of Colored Women (NACW) and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) cooperated in their efforts to commute Virginia Christian's sentence.[20] On July 24, Mary Church Terrell, the president of the NACW, and fellow activist Nellie Griswold Francis met with Governor Mann. Terrell presented a petition signed by 300 members of the NACW and asked him to stop the execution due to Christian's young age. Mann defended the court's decision and argued her age should not be a factor, since most of the nation's criminals were also young. Instead of a pardon, he granted a two week reprieve for NACW to hire private detectives to find new evidence, and allowed Terrell to meet with Christian in jail.[21][13][22][23]

The NAWC wrote a letter to the NAACP about Christian's case on August 1.[24] The NAACP established the Virginia Christian Litigation Fund and raised hundreds of dollars to find routes to a new trial. They also urged their members to write to Governor Mann.[25] On August 5, a representative from the NAACP met with Mann, arguing for a commutation based on Christian's age and the unlikeliness that Belote's death was premeditated. However, Mann stated he believed Christian had premeditated the crime in order to steal Belote's money. Mann also incorrectly claimed Belote was 70 years old rather than 51.[4]

The newspapers The Chicago Defender, The Cleveland Gazette, and The Washington Bee opposed the execution,[26] John Mitchell, editor of the Richmond Planet, called the crime "diabolical", but felt it appropriate to show mercy to Christian since she was a woman.[16]

E. Van Putnam, editor of The Chicago Evening World, and William Walling, a board member of the NAACP who wrote for the Evening World, aggressively campaigned against Christian's execution. The newspaper, which had the largest readership in Chicago, printed the NACW petition in full, called Christian's sentence "an indictment against society", condemned her conviction as racist, and urged readers to write Governor Mann. Putnam also questioned Christian's competency and offered to pay for her to be mentally examined.[27] Mann insisted Christian was competent and sane, highlighting her ability to write letters.[28] He emphasized that the state had offered her an education, and claimed "I have not taken into consideration sex or color".[29] Based on the paper's campaign, political and business leaders across Chicago criticized the sentence, including U.S. Congressman Martin B. Madden.[30]

Other Chicago newspapers echoed the Evening World. The Chicago Examiner enlisted a lawyer to meet with Governor Mann. The Chicago Defender argued Christian's sentence should be reduced to life in prison, and claimed the state of Virginia was partially culpable for Belote's death, since it had denied Christian education and social support.[9] In response, the Richmond Times-Dispatch defended the sentence, emphasized the brutality of Belote's death and the death penalty's potential to deter future crimes, and criticized Chicago's press for interfering.[9]

Mann also received letters from YWCA president Lucy Brooks Lewis and the Colored Young Women’s Christian Association of Baltimore.[25] Virginia's mother Charlotte also unsuccessfully petitioned Governor Mann:[31]

My dear mr governor

Please for give me for Bowing low to write you a few lines: I am the mother of Virginiany Christian. I have been pairalized for mor then three years and I could not and Look after Gennie as I wants too. I know she dun an aweful weaked thing when she kill Miss Belote and I hear that the people at the penetintry wants to kill her but I is praying night and day on my knees to God that he will soften your heart so that She may spend the rest of her days in prison. they say that the whole thing is in yours Hands and I know Governer if you will onely save my child who is little over sixteen years old God will Bless you for ever … If I was able to come to see you I could splain things to you better but I cant do nothing but pray to God and ask him to help you to simpithise with me and my truble

I am your most umble subgeck,

Charlotte Christian.

Execution and funeral

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On August 16, the day of Christian's execution, Mann publicly announced he would not commute Christian's sentence and affirmed his belief she was guilty of premeditated murder.[32] Before her execution, Christian wrote to her family and supporters:[33]

I know that I am getting no more than I deserve. I am prepared to answer for my sins, and I believe that the Lord has forgiven me. I fear that Mrs. Belote may not have been Christian. I blame no one for my situation. I hope to meet Mrs. Belote in heaven. I thank all who have worked on my behalf.

Christian was electrocuted in the state prison in Richmond at 7:23am on August 16, 1912, five months after Belote's death and one day after her 17th birthday.[32][13][34] She received three electric shocks, although the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported she died after the first.[9]

Christian was the first female executed in the South in 16 years, and the first to be killed by electrocution.[16] She was also, to date, the last female executed in the electric chair by the Commonwealth of Virginia. The state did not execute another female prisoner until Teresa Lewis in 2010.[35]

Although some newspapers reported her body was given to a state medical school, she was buried at the First Baptist Church cemetery in Hampton City.[36][37] Over 1,500 people attended her funeral.[38]

Aftermath

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In 1910, the state of Virginia had passed a law insulating minors under the age of 17 from criminal charges. However, the law provided an exception for minors whom no institution would admit, and there were no institutions in the state for Black girls.[39][40] The Crisis criticized the state of Virginia for not providing a reformatory for Black girls.[4] In the aftermath of Christian's execution, the Virginia State Federation of Colored Women’s Clubs established the first such reformatory, the Virginia Industrial School for Colored Girls, in 1915.[41][42]

See also

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References

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Citations

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  1. ^ a b Harris 2014, p. 931.
  2. ^ a b Harris 2014, p. 926.
  3. ^ a b Jones 2018, p. 17.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Du Bois 1912, pp. 237–239.
  5. ^ Harris 2014, p. 924.
  6. ^ Harris 2014, p. 925.
  7. ^ Harris 2014, p. 927.
  8. ^ a b Gillespie 2009, pp. 44–45.
  9. ^ a b c d Shipman 2002, pp. 159–162.
  10. ^ Baker 2008, p. 76.
  11. ^ Baker 2016, p. 176.
  12. ^ Harris 2014, pp. 927–928.
  13. ^ a b c d Jones 2018, p. 18.
  14. ^ Harris 2014, pp. 928.
  15. ^ Harris 2014, pp. 930–931.
  16. ^ a b c d Trotti 2022, pp. 50–51.
  17. ^ a b Harris 2014, p. 932.
  18. ^ Moten 2011, p. 52.
  19. ^ Curnutt 2016.
  20. ^ Bundles 2020, p. 186.
  21. ^ Harris 2014, p. 933–934.
  22. ^ Green 2020, p. 130.
  23. ^ Moten 2011, p. 43.
  24. ^ Moten 2011, p. 45.
  25. ^ a b Harris 2014, p. 935.
  26. ^ Linders & Van Gundy-Yoder 2008, p. 345.
  27. ^ Moten 2011, pp. 45–50.
  28. ^ Moten 2011, pp. 50, 53.
  29. ^ Moten 2011, p. 46.
  30. ^ Moten 2011, p. 48–49.
  31. ^ Christian 2010.
  32. ^ a b Harris 2014, p. 936.
  33. ^ Harris 2014, p. 922.
  34. ^ Baker 2008, p. 77.
  35. ^ Hartenstein 2010.
  36. ^ Daily Press 1912.
  37. ^ Harris 2014, p. 937.
  38. ^ Times-Herald 1912.
  39. ^ Jones 2020, p. 362.
  40. ^ Harris 2014, p. 933.
  41. ^ Jones 2018, p. 15.
  42. ^ Moten 2011, p. 55.

Bibliography

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  • Baker, David (March 2008). "Black Female Executions in Historical Context" (PDF). Criminal Justice Review. 33 (1). Riverside, Ca: SAGE Publications / Georgia State University: 64–88. doi:10.1177/0734016808316782. ISSN 0734-0168. S2CID 144717701. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 16, 2011. Retrieved September 25, 2010.
  • Baker, David (2016). Women and Capital Punishment in the United States: An Analytical History. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. ISBN 978-1-4766-2288-0.
  • Bundles, A'Lelia (2020). On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker. New York: Scribner. ISBN 978-0743431729. OCLC 1149013572. In fact, Wells-Barnett and Frances Blascoer, the NAACP's first executive secretary, made a presentation at the NACW's Louisville convention in 1910, though the brilliant Wells-Barnett had been excluded from some early NACW activities because of her uncompromising, often argumentative personality. Members of both groups cooperated at the Hampton biennial in 1912 in their efforts to commute the sentence of Virginia Christian, the teenaged laundress who had killed her employer.
  • Du Bois, W.E. Burghardt, ed. (September 1912). "Christian Virginia vs Virginia Christian" (PDF). The Crisis. Vol. 4, no. 5. New York City: National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. pp. 237–239.
  • Curnutt, Kirk (April 20, 2016). "New historical novel explores notorious 1912 execution". AL. Advance Local Media LLC. Archived from the original on February 6, 2025. Retrieved January 30, 2025. Online I came across a 1912 petition for clemency sent to the governor of Virginia, where an attorney explained he had not called his client to the stand to testify in her own defense because he feared her words might provoke another outburst of courtroom violence as had happened in Hillsville. That attorney's client was Virginia Christian.
  • Christian, Charlotte (September 2010). "Virginia Christian: The Last Woman Executed by Virginia? Transcription of letter from Charlotte Christian" (PDF). The UncommonWealth, Voices from the Library of Virginia.
  • Gillespie, L. Kay (2009). Executed Women of the 20th and 21st Centuries. Lanham, Md: University Press of America. ISBN 978-0-7618-4566-9.
  • Green, William D. (2020). "Nellie Griswold Francis: The Vicissitudes of Activism for Women and Race". Minnesota History. 67 (3): 128–138. ISSN 0026-5497. JSTOR 26977817.
  • Harris, L. (June 1, 2014). "The "Commonwealth of Virginia vs. Virginia Christian": Southern Black Women, Crime & Punishment in Progressive Era Virginia". Journal of Social History. 47 (4): 922–942. doi:10.1093/jsh/shu024.
  • Hartenstein, Meena (September 20, 2010). "First woman to be executed by Virginia in nearly 100 years". New York Daily News. New York News, Inc.
  • Jones, Lindsey Elizabeth (January 2, 2018). ""The most unprotected of all human beings": Black Girls, State Violence, and the Limits of Protection in Jim Crow Virginia". Souls. 20 (1): 14–37. doi:10.1080/10999949.2018.1520062.
  • Jones, Catherine A. (2020). "The Trials of Mary Booth and the Post–Civil War Incarceration of African American Children". Journal of the Civil War Era. 10 (3): 344–372. ISSN 2154-4727. JSTOR 26977378.
  • Linders, Annulla; Van Gundy-Yoder, Alana (2008). "Gall, Gallantry, And The Gallows: Capital Punishment and the Social Construction of Gender, 1840-1920". Gender and Society. 22 (3): 324–348. ISSN 0891-2432. JSTOR 27821648.
  • Moten, Derryn E. (Summer 2011). Adams, Rosemary (ed.). "A Most Unfortunate and Evil Day". Chicago History. Vol. 37, no. 2. Chicago: Chicago Historical Society. pp. 40–55.
  • * Shipman, Marlin (2002). "The Penalty is Death": U.S. Newspaper Coverage of Women's Executions. Columbia, Missouri: University of Missouri Press. pp. 159–162. ISBN 0-8262-1386-3.
  • Trotti, Michael Ayers (2022). The End of Public Execution: Race, Religion, and Punishment in the American South. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press. pp. 50–51. ISBN 9781469670423.
  • "Virginia Christian to be Buried Today". Daily Press. Newport News, Virginia. August 18, 1912. p. 8. Retrieved January 31, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  • "Virginia Christian Buried Yesterday - Many Attend". Times-Herald. Newport News, VA. August 19, 1912. Retrieved February 4, 2025.
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