The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-07-10
THE HORSE THIEF TALKS.
HOMERVILLE PRISONER is 60
YEARS OF AGE

Looks Like Prosperous Stockman
and Talks Like "A DevOut Chris
tian-Says His Name Is j. r.. sutton
and Not j. $. Etheridge and That
This Is His First ORense-CIaims
to Have n Farm at Manitee, Fla,
and TO Have Done Mercantile
Business at Ocala.
bonneville, Ga, July 9.-The arrest
of j. r. Sutton yesterday near
Thelma for horse stealing is the talk
of the town to-day. Sutton came here
last Friday, and put up at the Crum
House and informed Mr.. S. Smith the
proprietor that he wanted to buy some
cattle land and other property in this
section. Mr.. Smith being somewhat
engaged in cattle business, showed him
was Etheridge, and give him a card
with ~. 5. Etheridge Humbolt, Tenn"
Awritten on it. The card was a bust
ness card of w. j. Ethridge & Co,
Produce Merchants, No. 217 Sixth
street, Cincinnati Ohio.
He-Ethridge, Sutton, or whatever
his name is. became acquainted with
several business men about town.
Among these was C. H. Smith who has
a farm about one mile out of town
This he visited with a view of buy
ing, riding out one of Judge Crum's
best saddle horses. He left here Sun
day going to Valdosta, after paying
all bills and leaving a good impression
behind. In fact his age (about 65
years. and general department inn
presses any one that he was a success
full farmer and stockman of the Ten
nessee type. In Valdosta on Monday
be bought some rations and halters for
stock and came back to Dupont on the
afternoon mail train and stopped over
there till the $40 train at night which
he took for here. The train slowed up
for him to get off, and as this is not
regular stopping place for that train,
no one paid any attention. Sutton kept
under cover of the trees till about
IL O'Clock, when he went to
Judge Crunas stables and sad
died his best horse and
rode out to Mr.. Smiths farm and put
a halter on his horse and came back
through town. He took some horse
feed from the corn stables and then
put out for Florida.
Owing to the rain in the afternoon
he was easily followed by Judge Cam
and Sheriff Sweat, who had wired to
every officer in that direction for his
arrest Sutton, going a circuitous
route to evade detection, did not travel
so very fast, and stopping to feed be-
low Thelma, Mr.. Hicks, who runs a
still there and who was in possession
of the news, arrested him and turned
him over to the sheriff, who was in
hot pursuit, as stated in to-day's Morn
ing News. He says now his name is
not Etheridge, but Sutton, and that
he has a farm in Manitee, Fla, but
has been until late doing a mercantile
business at Ocala, Fla. Sutton also
states that he paid Blackshear a visit
last week under the pretense of buying
melons, but really to look up some
live stock" Not finding anything but
mules there, and not wanting to risk
them owing to his age, he came on
here, and expresses himself as we'll
pleased with prospects here
Sutton is very intelligent. pleasant
company; seems to be a devout Chris
tian; is sober and dresses well. He
has written some of his people and
hopes to be able to make bond, saving
this is his first aE-s-Saly crime of this
kind