The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1880-05-19
VICTORIA NORRIS DEATH.
4 Beautiful Girl Murdered. and Her MUIR
derer Makes an AgOniZed Confession.

A Beautiful Girl Murdered, and Her Nun
derer Makes an AgOniZed Confession.
The story of a romantic tragedy comes froI
Atlanta, Georgia, and all the Circumstance
are SO shocking that the community seem
| likely TO take vengeance into its own hand
and hang the murderer without the formali
| ties OF trial. CORES pondenL of the New orl
| Times says Two years ago there lived ter
| miles from Atlanta young farmer name,
James Jolly, who was known as 4 rough sor
OF fellow, but was considered by his neigh
bors as honest and Trustworthy With hu
and his wife lived an orphan girl, NlctOrit
Norris, who acted as assistant in househol,
duties and attended to the dairy. Her near
| est relatives resided at Rutledge. fifty mile.
| distant, and at the time she had been living
In the jolly household about Il year. Nicto
| ria Norris, handsome, robust girl, was tn,
| object of general admiration among IN,
| young men IN the county, who paid her mark
| ed attention. Among these, young John
| Weaver was the favored one. John was the
proprietor Of n good farm near the jolly place
ana ali his plans were arranged to make Vic
toria Norris his wife in the coming autumn.
Adjoining James jolly lived his brother-inlaw,
William Weaver, who had always been IA fussy
sort of a fellow, and had more than once been
indicted for riot at elections and other public
gatherings. Weaver frequently visited James
JolIy's house, and knew Victoria Norris well
The fact that she was going to marry his
nephew apparently caused him to take an
active interest in her welfare. Matters how
ever, did not 20 well for the young woman.
Mrs jolly became Jealous aud without any
cause for her husband treatment of Victoria
never approached tenderness. Wounded by
unj lust suspicion, and weary of JOllys rough
treatment, Miss Norris determined to go TO her
relatives at kutledge. jolly opposed this res
olution until he saw that she was determined
TO go, and then gave a reluctant consent.
The depot was four or five miles distant and
early one bright summer morning James jolly
and William Weaver left Jollys house with
n Il In frh o no
train. she was never seen alive again by any
eyes but Weaver : and Jollys. Jolly returned
home in the afternoon alone. 1t is stated on
good authority that Weaver left him with Miss
Norris, and that he is the last person who was
ever with her. The neighbOrs missed the
young woman, but supposed she had gone TO
her relatives, and thought nothing strange of
her absence, Soon letters came from these
relatives asking where she was. They re-
ceiyed reply purpOrting to come from her,
which stated that she had gone to Atlanta, and
never intended to return home. She told
them not TO search for her, as she was resolved
never to return. The news then reached the
jolly neighborhood that Victoria Norris had
not gone home, as she had intended but had
run away to Atlanta to lead a life of shame.
She was never seen in this city, but gossip
explained that she might have gone further.
The subject had almost ceased TO be a matter
of discussion, when it was presented in new
and terrible light by strange incident.
James Jolly grew worse and worse, until "a
last he openly accused of stealing some
cotton. He was indicted for larceny but be-
fore he could be arrested he fed from home
leaving his wife behind This was in Februa-
ry of the presnt year. The day after jolly
LETT it was noticed by neighbors that he had
burned a brush pile in his front yard This
unusual proceeding attracted attention. There
must have been something which Jolly was |
very anxious TO destroy. The ashes were 4
raked about, and in them were found the iron |
bands, locks, etc, OF trunk, by should a |
trunk be thus destroyed An old man hap
pened to hear Of it, and it suggested to him
another strange circumstance as TO a trunk
that after James Jolly had carried Miss Norris
and her trunk away, he saw jolly coming
back with the trunk in the wagon, but with
out the girl. The peculiar style Of the lock
and iron bands was examined, and similar
ity to Miss Norris was established, Then
came the remembrance Of the girl 5 strange
and the fact that jolly was
last seen with her, pointed to him in terrible
indication that he was responsible for her fate.
Another fact fastened this terrible suspicion
on him A few weeks before he left the coun-
IS, peddler, with his pack full had stopped
all night at Jolly's house. He was never heard
of again. and people who knew his regular
route were surprised at his failure TO appear
as usual.
All these circumstances clearly pointed TO
jolly the murderer Of Miss Norris, and
they caused All intense excitement throughout
the county. Gov. Colquitt at once offered
reward of S4OO for jolly capture. j. i. Will
bingham ascertained that he had last been
heard Of near Choctaw, Miss, and went at
once to that place. Jolly wa1 captured while
at work in field, and was brought back on a
warrant charging him with stealing cotton.
On the way he confessed TO Wilhngham that /
he knew all about the killing Of Miss Norris /
though he did not do it himself. He promised /
that ne would show where her body was buried /
As soon as he was carried 10 MS old home h /
took WiliDgham 10 a spot not far from the |
house, where he said the bones of the murdered /
woman would be found. An excited crowd m :
once dug into the ground and found she re- /
I'll Il
held an inquest over them, aud returned a YER
dict that Victoria Norris had come TO her denth /
at the hands of James Jolly. The entire /
county was then wild with excitement. Il WAS I
expected that the jail would be torn open and |
Jolly lynched.
Jolly lay Ia his cell night after night in the !
most horrible agOnies. When he would drop /
into a feverish sleep he would scream and /
wake, saying that he had seen the murdered ,
woman in his dreams He began to make con /
fessiona soon after he was put in Jail and has I
made a dozen, two Of which correspond.
At first he said that he left Weaver on the I
road with Miss Norris and after being gone
half hour, returned to find the girl dying.
Weaver said he had choked her to death in
his attempt to outrage her. BE and Weaver
has hastily buried the body, and afterward /
had removed it to where it was found. Soon .
after Jolly made this statement Weaver was
admitted to his cell. jolly then fell his
knees and denied every word Of what he had
just uttere.s- lie then said that he had tried I
to Favish the young woman, and in her efforts
to elude his grasp, she had fallen backward (
out of the wagon and broke her neck. He ,
was frightened, and hurried her body as quickly /
as possible. He made still another confession, !
to the effect that he tried to outrage the girl,
and for fear she would tell he had killed her 1
He now denies this. Lasf week Weaver was
tried for completely ia the murder. The prin-
cipaI witness against him was Jolly, whose
were so contradictory that the /
court ordered Weaver discharge. Jolly now
lies in DeKalb county Jail at Decatur, six 4
miles from Atlanta. He appears 70 De in (
agonies all the while, and fcaE5 that the out I
ragged community will lynch him. He will be \
tried in Z, few weeks and If there should be /
any defect of evidence sufficient 10 require his 5
release there is nothing more certain than shat !
ba he VII of lynch Ia