Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

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Preferred Citation

Commonwealth of Virginia versus Thomas J. Cluverius, 1885. Local government records collection, Richmond (City) Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va.

Acquisition Information

These items came to the Library of Virginia in transfer of court papers from the city of Richmond.

Historical Information

The body of Fannie Lillian Madison was found in Richmond's Old Reservoir on 14 March 1885. It was first believed Madison committed suicide, but evidence of a struggle suggested that she had been murdered. Madison's cousin Thomas J. Cluverius, a graduate of Richmond College and a lawyer in King and Queen and King William Counties, was indicted for her murder. Cluverius was convicted mostly on circumstantial evidence - the key piece of evidence being a watch key, supposedly belonging to Cluverius, which was found at the scene of the murder. The trial lasted from the 5 May to 4 June 1885, and Cluverius was hanged on 14 January 1887 despite several appeals.

Scope and Content

Commonwealth of Virginia versus Thomas J. Cluverius, 1885, contains records related to the criminal trial of Thomas J. Cluverius heard in Richmond (City) Circuit Court. Cluverius was indicted for the murder of Fannie Lillian Madison. Included in the case are Cluverius's indictment and copies of the trial testimony, along with several pieces of correspondence used as evidence in the trial. The correspondence between Madison and Cluverius exists as evidence that the couple shared an intimate relationship. Additional correspondence between Madison and their aunt Jane F. Tunstall was used to illustrate Madison's emotional state at the time of her death. Also included in the collection are the watch key and several photographs found in the possession of Madison at the time of her death.

Index Terms

Persons:

• Cluverius, Thomas Judson, 10 Aug. 1861-14 Jan. 1887.

Corporate Names:

• Richmond (Va.) Circuit Court.

Subjects:

• Evidence, Circumstantial -- Virginia -- Richmond.
• Murder -- Virginia -- Richmond.
• Richmond (Va.) -- History -- 19th century.

Genre and Form Terms:

• Correspondence -- Virginia -- Richmond.
• Criminal court records -- Virginia -- Richmond.
• Depositions -- Virginia -- Richmond.
• Indictments -- Virginia -- Richmond.
• Judicial records -- Virginia -- Richmond.
• Local government records -- Virginia -- Richmond.