The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-07-26
She States in interview Today
That the Lieutenant Was
The Victim of Deliberate
Murder Plot.
WAS LURED TO DEATH
is HER ALLEGATION
Resident of Maryland Writes
To Authorities Saying That
His Brother Was Also Done
To Death.
american News Service,

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Annapolis, Nd, July 26.-Lieut. J.
N. Sutton, the inquiry into whose
strange death was resumed here today
was not only killed by his brother Off
GERS, but his presence at the scene OF
the fatal quarrel was the result of a
deliberate and cowardly plot to slay
him. according to a statement of the
dead marine officers mother, MRS.
James N. Sutton today.
Mrs. Sutton, who has worked almost
unremittingly since the first court of
inquiry pronounced her son suicide.
to remove the stigma from the family
name, declared that the young naval
officer was lured by show Of friend
Illness to invite the young men to &C.
company him in the automobile. His
companions. she said, had formed a
plot to beat him to death and then
shoot him in the head to give color to
the suicide theory, which his slayers
before the commission of the crime
decided to advance.
Challenge to Duel.
The mother said that among the ef-
fects found on her son was a note
from Lieut. Sumner, apologizing for a
challenge to q duel. She related how
she had found Sumner who declared
that there was nothing significant in
the note.
II do not believe the postponed duel
had any direct bearing on the tragedy.
but the evidence will be presented to
the court to show that instead OF be-
ing quarrelsome and domineering. as
he has been represented to be. Jimmy
was of a generous disposition, kind
enough to accept the written apology
of one who felt that my sons actions
warranted the fighting of q duel.
How my son could ever have &C.
companied a number OF his aclznowl-
edged enemies to the camp in an auto
mobile as the witnesses have sworn.
unless they inveigled him into it by
a show of friendliness, can not be-
lieve. 1t is my belief that thu. coward
ly attack was planned before the par
ty left Carvel hall, and that the Off.
GERS accepted the hospitality Of my boz
SO as to accomplish their purpose.
Asks Reopening.
That the navy department will be
asked to reopen the original inquiry
into the death of one and possibly
more marine officers developed today
when Mrs. Sutton received a letter
from a resident OF Maryland who de
clared that his brother had been muir
dered. A verdict similar to the one
rendered in the Sutton case was re
turned. Upon the advice OF her at
torney, Mrs. Sutton declined to make
public the name of the writer of The
letter. 1t was learned, however, tina
the mysterious death referred to oc
CURED in post on the Pacific coast
within the last year and that the rela
tives Of the dead officer were unable
to have the findings of the first boart
reviewed by the head of the navy VIII,
was then in office. The writer com
mended Mrs Sutton and her daughter
Mrs. Rose Sutton Parker for the Ell
fort they had been making to have jus
tice done to the memory OF the dea'
lieutenant It described the facts O
the tragedy and concluded with tn
statement that the writer of the fact
of the case he referred to could n
longer be withheld if the two womel
succeeded in having the stigma OF SUI!
eide removed from the name Of Lieut.
Sutton