Oliver Vermillion and Virginia’s Ordeal of Blood

In the 1820s, Oliver Vermillion was a wealthy livestock baron living in the Thompson’s Ford area of Nickelsville, Virginia. Originally from Russell County, Vermillion frequently traveled to cattle markets, sometimes leaving without notice.

One day, a neighbor stopped by his home and discovered that Vermillion was gone.

At first, no one was concerned. His trips were routine, and there was little reason to believe this one was any different.

But weeks became months.

Eventually, an entire year passed without anyone seeing or hearing from Oliver Vermillion again.

The Disappearance of Oliver Vermillion

Vermillion’s cattle remained behind, tended only when neighbors stepped in to care for them. His house still contained his belongings, giving no indication that he had deliberately abandoned his home and property.

As time passed, people began to suspect something had happened to him.

Attention eventually settled on a local shopkeeper who had suddenly come into a substantial amount of money around the time Vermillion disappeared. Although the man had already been financially stable, he reportedly could not provide a consistent explanation for his newfound wealth.

In an era when people commonly kept considerable amounts of money on hand, neighbors began to wonder whether the shopkeeper’s sudden fortune had some connection to Vermillion’s disappearance.

Suspicion, however, was all they had.

There was no body, no evidence of a struggle, and nothing directly connecting the shopkeeper to a crime.

No charges could be brought.

Years passed, and the mystery gradually faded from memory. Neighbors took over Vermillion’s livestock and rented his property. Eventually, his belongings were sold.

Oliver Vermillion was largely forgotten.

The Past Resurfaces

In the 1850s, a new family moved into Vermillion’s former home.

A few weeks later, the lady of the house was outside hanging clothes when she heard her chickens making a commotion on a nearby hillside. The birds did not appear frightened, but they were unusually restless.

She went to investigate.

Hidden in the brush was a small cave.

Inside lay a human skeleton.

Authorities were summoned, and the remains were identified as those of Oliver Vermillion. His clothing was reportedly recognized by the few people who still remembered him.

After decades of uncertainty, at least one part of the mystery had been solved.

Vermillion had never left the area.

Many now believed he had been murdered, but so much time had passed that there was little authorities could do.

The people of Copper Creek turned instead to an older form of justice.

The Ordeal of Blood

An old belief held that the remains of a murder victim would bleed if touched by the person responsible for the killing.

The practice was known as the Ordeal of Blood.

With Vermillion’s suspected murder still unresolved, community leaders and the sheriff arranged an ordeal using his remains. A summons was issued for everyone who had been at least 15 years old when Vermillion disappeared.

On the appointed day, a large crowd gathered, many drawn by curiosity.

One by one, those summoned approached Oliver Vermillion’s remains.

Each person was required to touch his bones while a deputy watched carefully for any sign of bleeding.

Eventually, the person everyone had been waiting for stepped forward.

The shopkeeper.

The Suspect Touches Vermillion’s Bones

The crowd reportedly fell silent as the longtime suspect approached.

Unlike the others, the shopkeeper was visibly trembling.

He took Vermillion’s bones into his hands and held them briefly.

Then he dropped them.

The deputy watched.

The crowd waited.

Nothing happened.

Oliver Vermillion’s bones did not bleed.

Whatever the shopkeeper’s nervous behavior meant, the Ordeal of Blood had failed to provide the sign the community expected. There was still no evidence that could be used to convict him of Vermillion’s death.

But the ordeal was not without consequences.

A Different Kind of Verdict

The shopkeeper’s behavior during the ordeal reinforced suspicions that had followed him for decades.

Many residents stopped doing business with him. Before long, the loss of customers reportedly threatened him with financial ruin, and he eventually left the area.

No one was ever convicted of killing Oliver Vermillion.

The community’s prime suspect was never proven guilty.

And when he finally touched the bones of the man he was suspected of murdering, they did not bleed.

Yet for many of those gathered in Copper Creek that day, the shopkeeper’s reaction appears to have delivered a verdict of its own.