The Robesonian. [volume] (Lumberton, N.C.) 1870-current, 1908-12-24
INNOCENT MAN IN PRISON?
Revelations Made in Case of A

NeVelatIOnS Made IN Case OF A. Il
B. Norton, of Robson, in
State Pententiary forMurder-
Thomas White Confessed Be-
fore his Death that Norton
was not Guilty Affidavits in
Trial Judges Hands.
The Fayetteville Observer of
the 18th states that ex-Judge |
Thomas H. Sutton, of that city, |
is in possession of facts that |
prove the innocense of A. B. |
| Norton, white man who has
served in the penitentiary 10
years of a 30-years' sentence for |
murder in the second degree, |
having been sentenced at the
fall term Of Robeson Superior
Court in 1898 for the murder of |
Jesse Tolar. The following re-
view of the case was given The
Observer by Judge Sutton:
Two white men named Thos. |
White and A. b Norton, were
tried before him charged with |
the murder of another white man |
named Jesse Tolar, near Red |
Springs. The solicitor and pri-
vate counsel engaged in the pro-
secution held a conference with
the defense lawyers before the
trial was gone into and agreed
upon a verdict of murder in the
second degree. Judge Sutton
thereupon put the witnesses on
the stand in order to guide him
in the sentence to be imposed.
It developed to have been a most
atrocious murder. ItWas shown
that Tolar and Norton were ten
ants of White; that Whites wife
was sick, and Mrs. Tolar was
staying at the house nursing her.
] That one night when Tolar came
to Whites house to see his wife,
he was shot as he opened the
door to enter, falling back in the
yard with a terrible wound in
the abdomen; that he groaned
so loud that White went out and
! checked him nearly to death. He
! lay in the yard all night, and
finally expired. Mrs. Tolar knew
of the occurrance, but for some
:. reason, out of fear, possibly, did
:. not go to aid her husband, but
l remained in the house all night.
, White said Norton did the shoot
ing, and Norton said White did
it. They were both sentenced
a to 80 years in the penitentiary.
= White recently died on the State
farm. A day or two ago a law
yer in Laurinburg, who had been
8 employed by Norton, sent Judge
+ Sutton the following afidavits,
# and asked his aid in getting Nor
a ton pardoned, This Judge Sui
e ton will readily give
3 The affidavits which Judge
e Sutton has received are as fol.
d lows:
r. This is to certify that I, Johr
Angel, solemnly affirm and avoN
that | was with Thomas White
h about six months at Hillsboro
4 N. c., and slept with him during
- that time and that White made
~ this statement unsolicited. HI
! (White) told me he had killed ;
's man and placed the blame on A
# B. Norton and l am sorry fo1
~ him; he ought not to be here, ht
= (Norton) should be with his wife
,r and children. ,"
, The affidavit is signed by Johr
20 Angel and duly sworn to before
70 a justice of the peace Of Halifa2
=. county. The other affidavi
f. reads:
It This is to certify that I wa
N physician and surgeon to thu
q Northampton State farm at thu
v time Thomas White made a sworl
= statement that A. B. Norton wa
/ innocent of the murder of Jess
D. Tolar and that he (Thoma
Ie White) perpetrated and commit
70 ted the murder.
H. B. Ferguson, M. D.
: Sworn to and subscribed be
,e fore me this the 9th day of July
N 1903"
10 10 IS. M. Gary,
n "Clerk Superior Court" "