The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-08-22
HORRIBLE STORY
WILLIAM HOWTON
TELLS CORONER
Young Man Claims Norwood
Forced Him TO Shoot
His Father
BLIND" BUILT TO
DECOY THE VICTIM
Norwoods Claim That Howton Told
Them of Crime-JeaIousy Said
To Be cause-Four
Arrests.

49,
of the deceased, has been committed to
the county Jail on a charge of murder
ing his father, and 8. f. Norwood and
his son, Henry Norwood, and Nancy Rigs
by, a white woman, have been jailed
on charges of conspiracy. The arrests
were effected yesterday after the coroner
had sworn out warrants before Judge
H. b. Abernethy.
The coroner's investigation has deve-
oped sensational facts and the confession
of William Howton, son of the murdered
man, reveals case bearing horrible fea-
lures.
1t will be recalled that Howton, who
is said to have been very unpopular in
the community in which he lived, was
found murdered last Sunday morning at
o'clock, having been shot from ambush
several hours earlier in the night The
coroner entered into an official investiga-
ton of the case, and although, accord
ing to his statement, there was strong
evidence tending to implicate the son of
the deceased man, the jury empaneled
to investigate the case returned a YER
dict to the effect that Howton had come
to his death at the hands of persons
unknown to the jury.
Howton's Awful Story.
The coroner was not satisfied, however.
and he took up a personal investigation.
After securing much evidence he swore
out warrants against the persons whom
the testimony tended to implicate and
their arrests followed yesterday.
Young Howton, who is q years old,
does not deny that he shot his father,
but claims that S. F. Norwood gave
him 800 to do so and forced him to fire
a bullet into the body of the elder How
ton after he had been shot down with a
shotgun by Norwood Both the elder
Norwood and his son, Henry Norwood
are playing ''backwater," denying any
knowledge of the affair claiming that
young Howton told them he had MUIR
dered his father and threatened their
lives in case they said anything about
the matter.
From all that could be learned about
the case yesterday it seems that young
Howton and his father were at OUTS
1t being stated that they had come to
disagreement over the division of the
crops which the younger Howton had
raised on his fathers farm. On the other
hand, it seems that considerable jealousy
existed between the elder Howton and
the elder Norwood over Nancy Rigsby,
the woman who was placed in the county
acy.
Blind is Built.
Young Howton claims that the murder
of his father was carefully arranged;
that Norwood concocted the scheme and
offered him $500 to shoot his father. From
Howtons statement it would seem that
he entered partially into the plot, but
he claims that he tried to get out of his
agreement, but that Norwood forced him
to shoot his father.
Howton states that he and Henry Nor
wood were instructed by the elder Nor
wood to build a blind" in the woods
where the elder Howton was to be muir
dered, which they did. He states further
that at the hour appointed by the elder
Norwood he and Norwood went to the
place and hid behind the blind to await
Howton's approach.
Young Howton says that when his
father came up the road Norwood warned
him to get ready and he states than
when the old man passed the blind"
which was only a few feet off of the road,
Norwood raised a shotgun and fired UPON
the elder Howton, comparatively whole
load of squirrel shot taking effect in the
old mans left side.
Howton states that when Norwood
had shot his father he (young Howton)
jumped up from behind the blind and
started to run away He says, however,
that Norwood turned upon him, leveled
the shotgun upon him and told him to
come back and finish the old man or
he (young Howton) would die, too.
Howton says he was afraid Norwood
would shoot him and he went back to the
He says that Norwood threatened his
Dfe and told him to go ahead and
Finish the elder Howton.
Young Howton states that he did as
he was instructed. He says that he
walked out into the road where his dying
father was lying and standing directly
over him fired upon him with 3S caliber
revolver, shooting him square in the
breast. This wound ended Howton's life
very shortly
The coroner is impressed with young
Howton's statement, but both of the Nor
woods tell very different tale Both
deny having had any hand whatever in
the killing, and claim to have no knowl-
edge of the murder other than an alleged
confession by young Howton that he
killed his father.
Norwood's Story Different.
The elder Norwood states that he and
his son were working on their farm when
young Howton rushed up to them and
threw a revolver upon them. He claims
that Howton told them that he had killed
his father and that he told them he
would kill them if they said anything
about the murder.
Coroner Brasher has been intensely in
terested in the case since last Sunday
and the confession of young Howton bears
out the coroner's theory of the case, ex-
last Sunday, In every respect.
Brasher has spent considerable
time during the past week working up
evidence bearing on the case, and having