Comments on the Crimes That Rocked the Nation series
* Dear Sybil: I am a Jamaican living in Aruba. I love reading your article in the Sunday Observer. It’s like a wake-up call. You are so precise and professional I wish you could get the Nobel prize, Can’t wait for next week. – Paulette.smith@ SETAR.Blackberry.com
* Dear Sybil: Would you be kind enough to do a Sunday story on the famous Jamaican cricketer Leslie Hylton. He was hanged for the murder of his wife in Kingston in 1953. Thanks. – Owen Phillips vrphillips@rochester.rr.com
* Dear Sybil: I am a teacher of Literatures in English. Thank you for the very informative series of articles that you have been publishing in the Sunday Observer entitled ‘Crimes That Rocked the Nation’. I don’t know if they are your contribution to the Jamaica 50 retrospective look at events that affected our history through unforgettable court cases but I sincerely appreciate your research and clear presentation of the information in the articles. The information in the article about Aston Jolly (Whoppy King) and his murder of Sydney Garel and rape of a young girl on the Palisadoes Road was related to me by my mother. She told me that in the 50s news items such as those were sensational and everyone bought a newspaper to keep up with the latest developments in the trial. May I make a request for your publication of two cases, please?
1. Theed with threarpse — Vincent Silvera was hanged for the murder of his wife Martha Silvera in the 1950s. The couple lived in Port Antonio. Mrs Silvera’s headless body was found in a hole or cave near the sea in Folly. Her head was never found and Mr Silvera was convicted on circumstantial evidence. He never spoke after his arrest.
2. Leslie Hylton was hanged for the murder of his wife Lurline. The couple lived in Kingston. What I found interesting about that case was that the Court could issue a demand for mail that had been deposited at the Post Office by Mrs Hylton. It was said that she was having an extramarital affair and was communicating to her lover overseas by mail. Her husband was informed of this and killed her after trying to obtain the mail that she had posted.
Do you plan to collate these cases and publish them in book or booklet form? I would appreciate it if you would. It would make very interesting reading. I would use the articles in my Literature classes. Keep up the good work. – Nadine Blake staff.blake@gmail.com
Sybil E Hibbert is a veteran journalist and retired court reporting specialist. She is also the wife of Retired ACP Isadore Hibbert. Send your comments to allend@jamaicaobserver.com
